Feudal High: Drama Around Every Corner
by DarkDreamQueen
Summary: A typical high school fanfiction involving your favorite characters from InuYasha. Warning the following relationships would be shipped: Kik/Inu/Kagome, Kouga/Ayame/Kagome, Rin/Sesshoumaru/Kagura, Miroku/Sango, and many more. Why don't you stop by and take a chance to read a fairly well written fic.
1. Hierarchy Within The Class

**Hierarchy within the Class**

16 year old, Kagome Higurashi rolls over to the sound of her blaring alarm clock. Groaning after looking at the offensively red digits, she silences the beeping tone with a smack of her hand before rolling back underneath her warm comforter. Her room remains dark, the peach shade, thick curtains drawn closed as she lingers in bed for a few precious moments.

Just as her large eyelids become heavy with fatigue again, her bedroom door bursts open with a bang as a short, bouncing, male replica, her brother, Souta Higurashi bounds onto his sister's bed, jumping on her cocooned body. At first, Kagome ignores his bouncing, channeling the incessant, shaking movements to be a vibrating massage bed. Souta frowns at her dismissal, plotting the next step in waking her up as he begins shouting, making sure to land practiced punches square in her shoulder.

Kagome groans one more time before shouting, "OKAY, I'M UP! I'M UP ALREADY! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU LITTLE TWERP!" Dodging her swatting arm, Souta jumps off her bed to throw open her curtains, throwing a burst of bright autumn sunlight into the room.

Kagome subconsciously shields from the glaring sun as Souta skids out of her room and into the bathroom at the end of the upstairs quarters to start his morning routine. Slowly, her eyes begin adjust to the sun-kissed, light pink shades of furniture within her room. Sliding out of her warm cocoon, she makes her bed with slow vigor, moving about in a massive haze as she follows the tidying routine with her usual closet perusing of her necessary items.

Clutching her school uniform and a few toiletries, she stumbles out of her room and stands outside upstairs bathroom, waiting for her little brother to come out. With a yawn, she moves one-step towards the stair banister as the sound Souta turning off the faucet spills through the closed door. With the flick of the lock, Souta rushes out of the bathroom with a dewy face as he brushes past his sister and into his own bedroom to complete his morning routine. Kagome walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her as she completes her groggy escapades.

* * *

Carefully fixing the ends of her long, dark green, plaid tie, Kagome exits the bathroom, to the welcoming silence of the upstairs quarters of the family home. Grabbing the massive yellow knapsack, resting against the maple wood desk situated outside the entrance to her bedroom, she closes the door after a quick look over of her surroundings.

Kagome trudges down the stairs and into the kitchen, planting kisses on her mother's cheek before grabbing a pair of pop tarts from the toaster and a cool glass of milk on the nearby kitchen counter as she hollers a good-bye at the remaining inhabitants of the house.

Just as Kagome downs the rest of her milk, she places the empty glass in the sink before walking out the kitchen and throwing on her knapsack and shoes. As she exits down the porch stairs of the house, she waves off the last signs of her brother as he hops onto the awaiting school bus.

Walking down the silent sidewalk for twelve streets, she comes face to face with her best friend, exiting her own house. "Good morning, Sango…", she yawns as the girl in question pulls her pink satchel over her shoulder. "I take it, you stayed up fantasizing again", 16 year old, Sango Tajiya teases as she tightens the long, thick, dark brown ponytail on top of her head. Kagome smiles sheepishly as Sango's fingers find their way to Kagome's head and rakes through the raven locks, giving it a slightly tousled look amongst her straight bangs.

Both girls wore a matching uniform set for junior girls in Feudal High School. The composition was a white blouse and complimentary leg adornments such as tights or socks. However, with each grade, there is a different color for the tie/skirt/pants/blazer combination. For freshman, the color was light blue; for sophomores, the color was red; for juniors, the color was dark green; and for seniors, the color was black.

Sango's slight tan complimented the green tones in her uniform, while Kagome's pale skin made her brown eyes stand out more against the forest hues. As the girls walk the last ten streets or so to the school entrance, they chattered about homework before a speeding, navy blue Audi rounds the corner outside the school.

Luckily, Sango places a hand in front of Kagome in time before she could have walked into an accident. The girls let out a sigh of relief as they watch the passing car, rush to the student parking lot. "WATCH WHERE THE FUCK YOU'RE DRIVING!", Sango shouts at the airy exhaust fumes left behind. "San…", Kagome tsks at the girl's usual dirty language. "As fast as they were going, you could've been hurt, Gome", she pouts.

"Be sure to remember that when you're trying not to drool over the driver…", Kagome teases as Sango quiets her anger to a mild blush. Turning her chocolate hued eyes onto her best friend, she smirks as she retorts, "Like you wouldn't think of doing the same if that was his best friend… InuYasha Takahashi", whispering the name in a captivating way at the end.

An even redder blush graces Kagome's cheeks as they walk into the entrance of the school. Sheepishly looking around, making sure no one else heard the little statement to leave her best friend's lips, Kagome unexpectingly bumps into the offending person in question with a soft "oof" escaping her sighs. "Watch where you're going dweeb", he glares before stomping off to his locker. Somehow blushing shades deeper in embarrassment, Sango rolls her eyes before leading her friend to their shared locker.

Late last year, Feudal High was recently inhabited by students of a nearby rival school that burned down. Rather than have all those students relocate to other schools, the two schools combined and now everyone had a locker mate and had to share spaces. But luckily that space was always available within the three winged, three stories high building, hosting approximately four through five hundred students and forty of regular staffed faculty.

The students had their lockers along all three floors within the eastern wings alongside the gymnasium, which was attached to a massive sports field of 1.4 acres. The field stretched across the entire width span of the school building, connecting the gymnasium as it passes the student parking lot to the outdoor cafeteria on the western wing. On the western wing, there is an indoor swimming pool, a massive library and many of the faculty amenities such as a staff parking lot and offices. Sprinkled across the interior of the school, along each of the stories were spacious classrooms, multiple lavatories, and a couple of specialized rooms for selected classes and extracurriculars.

With multiple heirs and heiress enrolled in the school, Feudal High was just another public institution where the children of wealthy world leaders were usually disregarded and treated favorably so the establishment can continue gaining its funding. With that being said, with the burning of the rival school, InuYasha's locker was now located around the corner from Kagome and Sango's. His locker mate was his confiding best friend, the only junior he deemed worthy of his attention, long time companion, Miroku Houshi. Putting away their backpacks and taking the necessary items for their first hours, the two girls head off to their first class together as the school bell rings.

* * *

As the school bell rings for the third time to signal the approach of tardy, Kagome and Sango take their respective seats next to the their third friend to complete the trio. Rin Seiga was an advance sophomore in their calculus class for the upper classmen, which also served as homeroom for the students within. She came from the rival school but made friends with the duo during the previous year despite their differences. A shorter, petite girl with the same fair coloring as Kagome, Rin smoothes the edges of her red uniform skirt, as she tightens the two braided pigtails alongside her porcelain face before clearing away her desk except for the needed supplies and adjusting her glasses. "Where were you guys…you were about to miss role call", she teases as the girls in question follow routine and take out their belongings.

"Sorry, Rin, we nearly ran into some trouble this morning", Kagome mutters. "I mean it can't be nearly as bad as sharing a locker with that slut", Sango seethes as the classroom door opens to let in the girl in question. Kikyo Miko, age 17, senior in Feudal High, and heiress of Miko Cosmetics Chain, walks into the room with her posse: her boyfriend—heir of Takahashi Enterprises InuYasha, his best friend, heir of Houshi Luxury Estates—Miroku, fellow senior bitches from the rival school: heiress of Kaze and Kagami Fashion—Kagura Kaze and Kanna Kagami, heiress of Hea Hair Foundation–Yura Hea, and heir of Hihi Steel Manufacturing—Naraku Hihi. All the girls in this gathering, always roll up their skirts a couple of more inches as they wore arrangements of white garters and high-heeled boots or shoes.

Kikyo was the only one of the group who had the first few buttons of her shirt undone, with no tie blocking the world from seeing the laced edges of her black bra underneath. The group took their usual seats in the back corner of the classroom, right behind where Rin, Sango, and Kagome sat in the second to last row from the back of a classroom with five desks in rows and four desks per column. The teacher tsks at the noisy arrival of the group before checking off each accordingly. "That was a close call Ms. Miko", the teacher announces as she closes the attendance book. "Sorry, Ms. Baba, we'll try not to do that again", Kikyo snorts taking her seat.

The seating arrangement was as follows; Rin sits in the second to last row with the column of desks next to the classroom's windows with Kikyo behind her. Next to Rin sits Sango with InuYasha directly behind her. Next to Sango sits Kagome with Naraku directly behind her. Next to Naraku sits Miroku and in front of him sits Yura. Bringing up the end of the row closest to the wall with the classroom's exit was Kagura sitting next to Miroku and behind Kanna who sits next to Yura. Recap: from wall with classroom windows to wall with classroom doors, the fourth row has Rin, Sango, Kagome, Yura and Kanna. Behind them is as follows, Kikyo, InuYasha, Naraku, Miroku and Kagura.

"Hey dweeb, your stuff is taking up too much space. Move it or have it be moved", Kikyo leans over and taunts Rin as Ms. Baba begins her lesson on logarithms. "I'm sorry Lady Kikyo", Rin lowly mutters, lowering her thin frames below her bangs, as she sighs at the weight of her green backpack under her desk. With Rin being from the rival school, Kikyo made no attempt to welcome her when the announcement was made for the students' arrival. Kikyo nearly takes up the entire locker, leaving one corner on the highest shelf for Rin to use. As petite as Rin was, Rin could barely reach or place anything in the locker so she lugs around a massive green backpack. Rin, being too timid to say anything to the offensive senior and queen bee of Feudal High, continues to let her boss her around unknown to her friends. Unfortunately, Sango overhears the repertoire between the two and shakes her head at the unfair conduct. As the lesson begins, she begins making spitballs as she searches for a shooting instrument. Turning to Kagome she asks, "Hey, Gome, you wouldn't happen to have any extra straws from lunch the other day?"

Kagome, turning away from Ms. Baba's lesson, looks quizzically at her friend before nodding. "You ask for the weirdest things", she whispers as she digs into the hidden compartment of her pencil case where she keeps certain keepsakes like those that Sango requested. "You can say that", Sango mutters before being called on by Ms. Baba. "Ms. Tajiya, what was the last thing I said?", Ms. Baba asks. Sango takes the straw on her desk, quickly loading it with wet balls of paper before standing and reciting, "Ms. Tajiya, what was the last thing I said?" The entire class snickers at Sango's retort as Ms. Baba gives her that knowing look that she has just been written to detention. Grabbing her stuff, she walks up to the front of the class to grab the offensively pink, detention slip.

Right as she was about to exit the classroom door, Sango turns to Kikyo and aims the straw at her chest before blowing out the spitballs with precision. At the feel of the wet, slimy pieces of paper sliding down her shirt, Kikyo shrieks as she shakes out her shirt, ruining her sexual gestures, the entire class erupting in laughter as Ms. Baba writes up another detention slip before sending Sango out. Sango winks at Rin and Kagome as she waves and exits out of the class with Kikyo finally settling down and huffing from embarrassment.

* * *

After Sango's departure, the remainder of the class went by fairly quickly as Yura, Kanna, and Kagura whispered during the entire session while Naraku and Miroku scratched out a few of their notes and InuYasha dozed off. Soon the school bell rings, signaling the end of the class period as Ms. Baba assigns the class their homework for tonight. Taking leave of the class, Kagome and Rin went their separate ways as Rin had gym with Sango the next period and Kagome was left alone with the rude gang in their next class: French.

Quickly, taking her seat in middle row of the class, Kagome frowns at the group of rude students as they headed to the back of the class again. Ignoring their banter, she continues to survey the room. Unfortunately, her line of sight becomes blocked by the body of fellow transfer junior, Hojo Akitoki, taking the seat to her left and heir of Ookami's Car Industry—senior Kouga Ookami to her right as the instructor takes her place at the head of the class. With a deep sigh, Kagome takes out of her materials as she greets both of the boys with a slight nod and a welcoming smile.

Hojo and Kouga have a constant affection for Kagome and she knew they purposefully transferred into her class in order to get 'closer' to her. But to both of their avail, Kagome ignores both of their attentions as she only felt that way for one person… even if he was deemed impossibly out of her reach. As the class begins, the instructor hands back the results of the recent quiz. As she gives judgmental comments to a few students, she stops next to Kagome and hands her, her paper.

"Amazing job Ms. Higurashi. I swear you write and think like a native", she comments passing by Kagome. She heads to the back of the class and frowns at InuYasha before saying, "As for you Mr. Takahashi, I usually don't say this, but I truly recommend you switching out and taking another language course. I have no idea how you pass the previous levels of French, but you do not belong here. I would suggest tutoring but that may be too late of an approach." Looking down at his test paper, InuYasha slightly growls at the multiple red marks all over the page. "_Might as well color the entire sheet red_", he mentally chastises before tucking the result in his textbook.

With the rest of class passing by quickly, the school bell rings again as it signals the next period. As Kagome lingers in the room to organize the last of her notes, Kikyo strolls by her desk, knocking over the notebook Kagome was scrawling in as she continues walking onto the strewn sheets of paper, leaving dusty footprints across the pages. Her posse falling out after her, only Miroku chooses to take a detour around the strewn sheets of paper as InuYasha stands still. After the entire posse exits the room, Kikyo lingers a few moments, expecting InuYasha to follow after her. "Inu, baby… aren't you going to come along?", she calls out sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. "Go on ahead of me babe, I'll be there soon enough", he shouts back as the classroom door closes.

The classroom being entirely empty, InuYasha kneels down to help Kagome pick up her notes before handing them back to her. During the exchange, he was surprised to see unshed tears building up in her eyes as she looks away, attempting to cast her bangs over her face to cover her embarrassment as she pulls her hands away from his touch. "Sorry about that", he mutters. Quickly Kagome takes a sharp breath in, plastering on a false smile on her face beaming, "it's no big deal… I'm sure it was… an accident. Besides, they all have places to go as well do you. So I'll be going."

Before she can make it to the door, InuYasha grabs her wrist, spinning her body back to face him again as she raises an eyebrow at the surprising contact. "Um… Kagome, right? … I have a favor to ask of you", he whispers, not trusting the walls. Kagome looks at the boy before her as her brown orbs meets amber eyes. Looking away again, she focuses on the loose silver hair strands framing the nearly over grown bangs against his boyishly handsome face, the remaining tied into a low ponytail at the base of his neck, before replying, "Yeah, what do you need?"

"I was wondering if you'll be willing to tutor me… in private sessions", he mutters, with a sheepish grin. "Oh… I see… Meet me at the town's Shrine just off the road from the sacred Goshinboku tree tours… no one really knows about it. We can study in the well house", she lightly comments before turning heel and speeding out of the classroom and to her next class. Luckily, she had gym with none of that bunch, only sophomores and other juniors. "_I haven't done anything to that witch. What does Kikyo have against me? And the galls to ask me for help after he just sat there and let that happen…. I mean… he has nothing to do with how she acts… but he sure is a bystanding jerk_", she mentally divulges as she enters the locker room beside the gymnasium to get ready for her next class.

* * *

As he wonders over to the library for his free period, InuYasha replays the encounter with the shy girl. "_What the hell was she going to cry for? Their just sheets of paper_", he mentally questions as he enters the quiet studying area in the middle of the library. Making his way over to his favorite quiet spot, he finds Miroku there, sitting across from the same girl from his homeroom class who pranked Kikyo, with a magazine book nonchalantly covering the lower half of his face. Looking closely he sees her body beginning to tense up as Miroku has his knowing smirk on his face, hidden from the girl with the help of the booklet he held. Taking a seat next to his comrade, he ignores the disbelieving stare of the girl as she grabs her stuff and prepares to move to another table. Just as she turns around to leave, Miroku reaches a hand out to lightly dust off the light speck of dirt on her skirt before a fist interrupted the act and connected with his jaw.

The librarian looks over and shushes the group as the girl hmph's before throwing her books down on the table next to them. Receiving another silencing warning, she merely rolls her eyes at the librarian before returning to her studies in a fuming mood. Lightly snickering, InuYasha punches the shoulder of his friend. "You just couldn't resist, could you?", he teases as he fights to remember the girl's name. "That one there is a feisty. Get this—I was pushing my chair in to let some kid pass by, and I accidentally felt up her leg. I try to apologize but someone else passed behind me so I had to move in, so I nearly felt her thigh. She's been glaring at me the entire time since then", Miroku lightly comments, rubbing his sore jaw before readjusting his black dragon's tail his hair was tied in while slicking away remaining strands from his bangs. "Why didn't you just apologize… wait, how do you accidentally feel up someone's leg when the table is a good four feet wide?", InuYasha asks with a knowing look on his face.

"My dear friend, you have much to learn", Miroku comments, winking his blue eyes as the girl flips him off before completely ignoring him. "At the way you pick up girls, I think I'll opt out. What's her name anyway?", he whispers as the librarian sends a warning glare at the two. "That little fire cracker is Sango Tajiya… I mean—how can anyone resist?", Miroku whispers back. "I guess she's hot… at least enough for you", InuYasha lightly taunts before taking out his favorite sports magazine. Twenty minutes into browsing the articles, InuYasha leans over to whispers, "You wouldn't know where Kagome Higurashi lives would you?"

Miroku gives his friend a skeptical look before handing him a sheet of paper with the address scratched on and whispering, "Just don't get caught by Kikyo". InuYasha glares at his friend before smiling and replying, "I'm not like you." "Ouch, my friend, that hurts", Miroku comments as the two return to their works.


	2. Flirting With Disaster

**Flirting With Disaster**

Finally, lunchtime rolls around and with the autumn weather warming up, the respective cliques gathered and met with their members at the outdoor cafeteria seating areas. Kikyo, InuYasha, Miroku, Kanna, Kagura, Yura, and Naraku sit in the center of the array of outdoor lunch tables opened for the cafeteria.

Kikyo, slightly embarrassed about the early debacle of saliva going down her blouse, chooses to button up her blouse as she basks in the shining sun while leaning seductively over the edge of the outdoor tabletop. Kagura chose to kick off her heels, having them hang on the tips of her sheer black toes as she sits sophistically cross-legged on the bench of the outdoor table. Kanna daintily removed her garters, tying them around her bare, thin wrists; and Yura removes her knee high boots, with her legs spread across the cool, moist grass to combat the warming sun on the light autumn day.

The boys were littered between the girls of their clique with their own ties askew. Miroku, having his green blazer tossed aside and hanging on the bench next to Kanna, sits across from Yura's spot on the grass, daydreaming in the sunlight. Naraku, leaving his shirt unbutton to reveal his smooth, pale chest, sits in between a blank faced Kanna and a firm faced Kagura as he was engaged in a wrestling match with InuYasha. InuYasha, choosing to leave his shirt untucked and flowing freely, has his girl friend nonchalantly palming his thigh underneath the table as he continues the contest with Naraku.

The group generally lounges about in this manner during their lunchtime, not really eating as the girls taunt passing fashion victims and the guys navigate between ogling the beauties before them, having brute competitions, or lightly joining in the taunts. However, today was an unusual occurrence as Miroku, not really participating in InuYasha's jeers as usual, looks longingly across the yard to the girl he bumped into a few periods earlier. "You boys are soo barbaric", Kagura lazily comments as she rolls her eyes at their never changing stance. "Shut up, Kags", Kikyo dismisses the comment, earning a side glare from the speaking girl. With an 'hmph', Kagura takes the pencil from behind her ear and twists her short raven locks into a simple knot as she ignores Kikyo's snide.

The sound of the wooden table creaking after a loud slam signifies the usual end for the arm wrestling match as Naraku sulks away from the group and InuYasha gleams in triumph before receiving the light congratulatory peck from his girlfriend. Having expected the usual jeering from his best friend, InuYasha was alarmed when no commentary was made but uncomfortable silence filling their gathering. Noticing the hypnotic look his friend was displaying, InuYasha smacks the back of Miroku's head, bringing him out of his drooling trance. "What's with you? You have girls a dime a dozen trailing after you on a daily basis yet you keep staring at the dweeb and her friends for half the day", InuYasha jeers.

"Au contraire, Mon ami. That girl is going to be part of my new ploy and I'm simply trying to figure her out before I add her to my harem", Miroku smirks, shaking off the tension surrounding the table. Naraku walks back to the table, having completed his usual anger glower; he retakes his seat between Kagura and Kanna before replying with, "It amazes me that you and Ms. Hea haven't fucked the entire student body by now… including each other…" Yura and Miroku give each other a disgusted look, earning a mild snicker amongst their comrades. "As if he can even begin to handle me... besides… rumor has it she's not his type anyhow", Yura comments giving the girl a look over. "His type?", Kanna questions with a slight tilt of her porcelain face. "Yeah, dumb and real easy…", Yura laughs as Miroku frowns at her.

"Last I checked, Houshi doesn't have a type… he fucks anything that moves", Kagura coldly remarks, earning the approving laughter from the gathering. "Okay, come on guys, I'm pretty sure Miro has some level of standards… even if they have been low as of lately…", Kikyo teases, reaching out to pinch his boyish cheeks before Miroku simply shrugs her touch away. "But seriously, she's not the one for you, Miroku. I bet she doesn't even blink twice if you walked over there—wait maybe that will make her your type", InuYasha jests as the group laughs. Miroku simply scoffs before returning his attentions back to the girl and her comrades sitting across the yard, ironically oblivious to his glare. Suddenly, with a cocky smile gracing his face, he stands from his seat, dusting away the dry grass debris from his bottom, muttering a defiant, "Just watch this...". Making his way across the yard, the entire outdoor cafeteria premises go quiet as they watch the privilege junior strut across the yard.

* * *

From across the yard, away from the outdoor tables, Sango sits in front of her friends, discussing her morning classes and the little mishap from the previous periods. They too decided to adjust their wardrobe to accommodate the morning heat. Kagome, having braided her tousled locks into a single plait down the middle of her head, simply removes her shoes to air her feet as she sits upon the field. Rin chooses to remove her sweater, tying it around her waist as she lies down on the grass, laughing to Sango's tales. Sango, herself, simply rolls up her sleeves and untucks her blouse from her skirt as she sits cross-legged, joking with the girls.

"I was so embarrassed after what just happen and I figure he would stop when in the presence of prying eyes and ears. You know—he's a typical guy. And one of the most popular in Feudal High. Even after what happened during Study Hall, with it being invigorating yet disgusting, I thought the entire act was just for his friend. You guys know how the hallways talk. He's Lecherous Houshi. One minute he's being so chivalrous and the next his hand is down your pants when you give him the chance. You wouldn't believe what happened next. He stops me in the middle of the hallway… gets on bended knee and says", she speaks excitedly. Taking a moment to stand up and imitate the person in question, she displays said act with Kagome as her pawn before looking at a giggling Rin sitting up to watch the display and whispers, "Baby, you must be a broom, cause you just swept me off my feet", ending with a flutter of her eyelashes.

This sent Rin and Kagome into giggling fits before Sango join their reverie, retaking her seat on the grass to face the girls. After the short bout of laughter, the trio regains their composures and sits across from the other as Sango continues her revealing tale. Unfortunately, the girls were oblivious to the quieting schoolyard. "It was priceless. I didn't think he was serious let alone that this was the infamous Lecherous Houshi—that half of the girls here has slept with—but that's not the end of it. I'm standing there, confused and praying this was not a retaliated prank when two freshman girls run up to him and start attacking him saying he's a dirty two-timer. It was too perfect. I chose that as my moment to escape but then he grabs my hand and gives me a slip of paper saying 'Can you give me directions…to your heart?' I swear I never wanted to die so badly", she finishes as she awaits the reaction of her comrades. But staring intently at them, she only sees shock expressions on their face as they peer behind her.

"Please tell me he's not behind me at this moment", she mutters before wheeling around to come face to face with the dark green pants leg of the offending person. Taking a deep breath, she gazes upward to glare at the dazzling smile beaming from his boyishly smug face. "Well, madam… pardon me for thinking that falling for you would be a very short trip. Besides getting off on the wrong foot, I do not believe that is an excuse to wish death upon yourself. However, I am, as you say—The Lecherous Houshi but my comrades call me Miroku. Now correct me if I'm mistaken but I believe this lovely specimen before me is what you call yourself as a Sango Tajiya", he attempts to charm as Sango, brushing off the joke on her short height, takes the moment to stand and face her disaster. On cue, just as Sango was about to reach for her friends' hands in comfort, Kagome and Rin stand at the same moment, whispering, "Sorry, San we gotta go and get stuff for Study Hall, see you later", leaving her to handle the offender by herself. "_Cowards_", she mentally chides as her companions quickly got away.

Grinning sheepishly, Sango turns her attention back to the boy in front of her. "Um… sorry about that… I was simply joking… You know a joke amongst friends, right? I mean… I didn't mean to get caught", she says nonchalantly. "Oh, my dear—no one means to get caught. Nevertheless, I'll let it slide on a single condition. Besides, I know the truth. You want me. I can smell it", Miroku smirks as he lightly takes Sango's hand, sniffing her wrists just before placing a chaste kiss on it. Squirming slightly from the uncomfortable attention, she bends over to pick up her knapsack, all the while keeping her eyes on the roaming hands of the boy in front of her. In her stupor, Sango slightly trips over the edges of her buckled shoes, falling into the open arms of the flirt. Quickly and awkwardly correcting herself, she glares daggers at the boy, silently praying for the moment to be over.

As luck will have it, the school bell rings, signaling the end of the lunch period and saving the animated persona of the girl in question. Sango, ignores the presence of the boy in front of her and with a dismissive smile, proceeds to attempt to get to her locker. But he was two steps ahead of her and quickly follows her quick pace, before grabbing her hand. "If you gave me a penny for my thoughts I'd have just one penny, because I only think about one thing and that's you". Not wanting to further cause a scene, Sango continues walking ahead of the boy, playing the cheesy line until she gets to the isolated corner by her locker. Taking the chance, she pulls the boy into the corner, startling his confident stature as she surprisingly raises him an inch off the floor with her fist twisted amongst his shirt. With his body, merely inches above her own, she leans dangerously close to his face.

With his breath escaping and tickling her upper lip, she whispers maliciously into his face, "I don't know what you want with me but I'm only resisting beating you to a pulp because I actually like you. But I'm not like all these other cheap girls around here who croons at your feet simply because you're oh so popular. So if you really want me or my time, better start thinking a new strategy." With those lasting words, she shoves him at a nearby locker before stomping off to class. Miroku simply stares dumbfounded at the girl as she saunters away in humiliated realm of anger. The bell rings again, signaling the beginning of the next period, and Miroku, trapped in a miniature trance, remains at the locker until his trusted companion bumps into him.

"Hello?! Earth to Miro… dude, what is up with you?", InuYasha shakes his friend. Finally, Miroku snaps out of his trance, heading in the general direction of his next class with the guiding help of his friend. "Do I hear a challenge", InuYasha teases, shaking his head. "Definitely… Tajiya… has no idea what's in store for her", Miroku grins as the two enter their biology class and take their seats.

* * *

Finally, the school day ends after three or so more hours of class periods. The usual groups of friends gather at their departure spots, for the trio, it was the front entrance of the school, where they would walk home together. For the popular gang of friends it was at the student parking lot as they make afterschool plans together during off-season from main clubs. With Kagome's group, she attempts to dissuade her friends from getting together for a study session at her house this afternoon.

"Guys, how bout we go out for some burgers and fries later and start our homework then", she cleverly evades. "Unless I'm sleeping over—I'm not allowed out after dark, Gome", Rin complains. "Well how bout we meet at Sango's instead. It's the closest to the school and we can both take you home afterward", Kagome suggests. "Yeah—no. My dad is being a prude after Kohaku's last impromptu slumber party… he likes to know like a week in advance so he can be a better host", Sango jokingly retorts. With an exasperated sigh, Kagome meekly says, "then how bout we do our homework now? The library stays open until 8PM" "Is there something you don't want us to know Gome? We already have seen your house at its worst so it can't be that… Oh! Are you having someone over?", Rin bubbly quips. "Rin…", Kagome exasperates. "Is that so? Who's the lucky guy, Gome? Hojo? Kouga?", Sango asks, with a teasing smirk.

"Come on guys, don't give me that look. It's not like that and it's no big deal. Besides—you're wrong. But, if you do come over, you have to keep it a secret. Like this can't leave our lips even at this second. And in my house, make yourselves ghost until he's gone. We can do our homework when I meet up with you guys but during the time he's there you're going to have to be content with spying", she concludes. "Wow, must be someone pretty big if you going through all this trouble so he doesn't get see… wait… it couldn't be… really Gome?", Sango asks, hyperily hopping up and down as she watches Kagome's face turn beet red. "Wha… you mean it's Inu…", Rin begins before Kagome clamps a hand over her mouth. "Yes, he needs help in one of the classes we share together. Now will you guys calm down", she placates. "We're soo coming over. There's no way out of this one Gome", Sango teases. "Yeah, I want to see if he can actually read!", Rin joins as Kagome groans at the antics of her best friends.

* * *

Meanwhile at the student parking lot, Kikyo sits on the roof of InuYasha's scarlet Ferrari with her legs straddling his hips in their erotic make out session. Miroku leans against navy blue Audi with Kanna and Yura sitting on the hood, arguing about after school plans and try-outs for Feudal High sports teams. Naraku and Kagura watch the entire scene as they sit on the roof of his black Durango. "Why should we waste away our days at useless hangout spots. We should do something else to put our name in the yearbook", Yura complains while checking her tall, lean, and lightly tanned body out in Miroku's mirrors. "Well it doesn't matter for me, I have another year at this school", Miroku retaliates, mirroring Yura's actions with his dark, full bangs in the mirror on the opposite end of his Audi. "Exactly why you have more time to consider your choices. But I think it will be more eventful to take over any if not all the sport teams. What do you think Naraku", Kanna asks while nonchalantly covering her pale, alabaster skin from the setting sunrays.

Naraku zones his attention to the light ash blonde haired girl, ignoring the increasingly heated session between the couple as he smirks at the group afore him. "It is of no concern of mine what everyone decides to do with their time. But I believe it will be in the best interest of the majority to do something useful instead rely on our popularity in school or our parents' money for the rest of our lives", he calmly replies. Kagura nods her head in approval before chiming in with, "Besides, I already signed up for the cheerleading tryouts with Kikyo a couple of days ago." "Wha?! And you never mentioned anything to the rest of us?", Yura seethes. "I didn't know my every movement was of any concern of yours", Kagura coldly replies.

Kanna turns her attention to the kissing couple, rolling her eyes at the sight before her. "_Might as well shoot a porno in front of the entire school_", she mentally chides as she watches InuYasha's fingers play along the tops of Kikyo's garters. Clearing her throat, the couple slowly pulls apart, InuYasha blushing while smiling sheepishly and Kikyo tossing her glorious dark locks aside with a snare. "I thought you were going to try out for the archery team this year Kikyo, you are the top contestant in the state", Kanna questions. "I want my name and face all over the yearbook so I'm getting into as many clubs as possible", Kikyo gloats while unwrapping her legs from around InuYasha. "And exactly how do you suppose you'll be able to keep up with your academics", Miroku speaks up with a questioning glare.

"She'll just get the dweebs to do it. And whenever she doesn't want to have their slimy hands groveling at her feet, Naraku here is always willing to assist", Kagura spits menacingly as the group turns their attention to the suddenly quiet boy. Suddenly, Kikyo hops off the roof of the Ferrari, sauntering over to the black Durango before cupping Naraku's hands in her own and peering into his black eyes with her own grayish brown pools. "That's entirely up to him. But I don't think it would be a problem, do you, Naraku?", she asks in her sweetest voice. "N-no. Not a problem at all, Miko", he slowly stammers, looking away from her exposed cleavage as he pulls his hands out of her grasp. Hopping back up in a straight posture, she smiles her appreciation and bounds back over to the scarlet vehicle.

"So it's agreed, this year—we're dominating every page of the yearbook by any means necessary. Someone find out who's in charge of the publication and buddy up with all the photography nerds.", InuYasha concludes. "Kagura and I already got that covered. We're signing up for the new 3D art design class being offered. That should give us opportunity to buddy up with a few of the camera geeks", Kanna dismisses as everyone starts hopping into the appropriate car-pooling vehicles.

The breakdown of the carpools is as follows: Yura rides home with Miroku; Kanna, Kagura and Naraku ride together since they live on the outskirts of town; and InuYasha always drop Kikyo off unless otherwise told so. Just as he was pulling out of the parking lot, he catches sight of the meek girl from his French class and briefly remembers his prior obligations as Kikyo plants a kiss on his cheek. "_Dammit, no fun for tonight_", he mentally groans at his peeking arousal. "Hey babe, looks like I'm going have to just drop you off, I completely forgot about the meeting with my dad", he mutters to Kikyo as she buckles herself in.

"Aww, but Inu, my parents' aren't home and we can be as loud as we want to be for now… can't this meeting be put off", she teases as she plants kisses along his jaw line while squirming out of her seat belt. As InuYasha tries to stay focused on the lot ahead of him, he shakes his head and pats her bare thigh, signaling her to cease her actions. "He seems serious about this one today", he confides as Kikyo pouts and throws herself against the seat. "Fine—but you owe me…", she murmurs as they pull out to the entrance of the school. Catching sight of the three girls in her homeroom class, Kikyo takes out a spare bottle of water from her purse. Unscrewing the lid, she takes a short swig before rolling down the windows to toss the bottle, spraying the water inside as they drove by the girls.

InuYasha didn't stay around to hear the screeching reactions of the girls as he peels out of the parking lot with a cackling Kikyo. Looking into his rearview window, he sees the girls shrieking in disgusts and standing in disbelief while shouting obscene names at the car. One of the girls, the short, lightly tan junior who pranked Kikyo that morning, attempts to chase after the car but her friends take hold of her arms as InuYasha speeds away at the changing light. As he drives away from the scene, Kikyo finally calms her laughter to look at her boyfriend with a quizzical stare. "Was that really necessary?", he rudely comments. "Aww… don't behave as if you cared about those losers. Besides, you know that was funny", Kikyo retorts, rubbing his earlobe. Rolling his eyes, he continues driving off in the distance, hoping he remains on good standing with his private tutor.

* * *

Sango pulls her arms away from the restraining holds of her friends. "Fucking Assholes!", she screams as they continue their walk over to Kagome's house. "Why in the world would you do anything for a jerk like that?", Rin chimes in as she wrings out her shirt on the sidewalk, barely seeing through her water stained glasses. "You can't really blame him, he's just stuck with a bitch of a girlfriend", Kagome quietly quips. Sango spins on her heel, stopping her stomping rampage to come face to face with her seemingly delusional friend.

"DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF KAGOME? You can't be serious in helping him after this… HE CAN FUCK OFF—let him worry about passing the class…guys like that don't deserve girls like you. Besides with the amount of money his family has, it's not like he can't just pay someone to change the grade", Sango demands from the taller girl. Rin remains in silence at Sango's outburst as Kagome looks away from her wise friend, using her bangs to hide her eyes in shame. "You know I can't do that… this may the one chance I get with being close to someone like him… even if he doesn't feel the same", Kagome whimpers.

Sango and Rin stare in disbelief at their friend, before returning to their walk, cooling off their heated tempers on the way. "I guess, in the end, he's really lucky he has someone like you to help him out", Rin quips as she puts on a warming smile to make the others cheer up. "Fine… be with your fantasy for now, Gome. But the minute he steps out of line—he's finished!", Sango taunts with a smile, causing the trio to laugh as they head into Kagome's house to change into extra clothes.


	3. Meet Sesshoumaru:Knight In Shining Armor

**Meet Sesshoumaru: Knight in Shining Armor**

InuYasha drives away from gold plated, gothic styled gates of the infamous Miko mansion styled after Silicon Valley Chateau. With the golden gates closing behind him, he hurries from Kikyo's house and towards the meeting place with a scorn tutor waiting. Swearing as he surpasses speed limits, he can only hope that the girl wouldn't be too angry and allow him to fail his French class. What he didn't need was a reminder of how irresponsible he is and why he can't claim his share of the Takahashi Empire. While driving down the unfamiliar path towards the town's shrine, he begins to recollect his family's past.

With his parents owning the majority stock in the world's leading car dealership, massive responsibility falls on the heirs as the company's owners grow older with age. He knows his mother, Izayoi, let alone his father, InuTaisho, will be furious if he comes home with another failing grade. To them this was displaying his lack of effort in a school where they allowed their heirs to enter to grow into well-rounded adults. The Takahashis came from a long line of wealth. Even so, instilled in the history of both parents, were humbled behaviors and acts within community they prospered. Growing up in such a manner, they took care to make sure to pass on the same values to their children, however much wealthier they became.

InuYasha can hear his father practically scorning him, telling him he can't always rely on their money and power to pull him out of his troubling behavior. He can hear his mother silencing their shouting matches as she underhandedly compares him to her stepson—his older brother, Sesshoumaru, and his ridiculously perfect behavior growing up and to this day. In the end, InuYasha loves and honor his parents too highly to fail them again but being compared to his lack of empathy brother was too great a pressure at times for him. Some days he wishes to be a child again and go about his days simply playing with Miroku from dusk to dawn and being fawned over with fewer responsibilities.

Things started turning this way after the merger with the Miko Company. With his parent's generosity, the entire act was a form of a bailout to get the Miko Cosmetic shareholders out of debt and to finalize the agreement, Kikyo was announced his betrothed. At first, he loathed and hated her… she represented his hatred towards growing up and becoming the robot his brother often was fawned over. He often wondered why she couldn't be leeched onto Sesshoumaru in the first place. He may be a bastard child but he was still the eldest.

But that was before he got to know her. They met at a Mergers Ball and being the only two tweens that had nothing to do in a room full of adults, they ran off to play. Immediately, he fell in love with her carefree spirit and forgotten about the qualms and hang-ups floating over their social titles. She perfected the art of not being caught after Miroku taught him the tricks through their early childhood friendship. He taught her the art of being likeable and not such a wallflower. Together, they shared everything from first kisses and virginity as the two grew closer over the years, all the while a cunning ability to climb up the popularity chain in both their middle school to Feudal High.

Even after the rival school came to rubles and merged with their own, the two remain the unsaid king and queen of Feudal High. In a way, he was blindly in love with her, seeing only the 13-year-old girl he met and fell in love with despite how cruel and meticulous she grew to be as she misbehaves around others. He merely dismisses the entire behavior with the benefits of having the school fear and bow down to their power.

Snapping out of his reverie, he nearly misses his turn signal towards the town's shrine. With a quick shift down a side road, he heads back down an exit as he drives quickly in anticipation of the possibility of forgiveness from his tutor.

* * *

Sango and Rin sits on Kagome's rose-colored comforters, previously dressed in mere undergarments, they borrowed a couple pairs of house clothes until their own uniforms finish drying. Kagome remains pacing the floor in a white tee, black sweats and her typical white bunny slippers she wore around as Sango, and Rin watch her from their spots on the bed. Rin has unraveled her ponytails, allowing loosely coiled raven tresses to fly wildly around her small, heart shaped face as she readjusts the borrowed oversized red t-shirt to cover her rather large chest and white bloomers. Her thin, black oval spectacles cleaned and situated on the curve of her cheekbones. Sango sits in a pink tank top and her black gym shorts, her typical high ponytail tightened as thick dark brown mane cascades around her lightly tanned shoulders. She simply paints her toenails with the matching hot pink varnish of her fingers.

"Kagome, could you please stop moving, you're giving me a migraine", Rin nags as Kagome finally stands in place only to start biting her fingernails. "There's nothing to be nervous about", Sango lightly replies as she finishes touching up one final toenail. "That's easy for you guys to say. Rin, the male species, let alone anything remotely sexually isn't even on your radar and Sango, don't act as if you wouldn't just die if you were in my place right now with Lecherous Houshi… Promise me you guys would stay up here and just wait", Kagome begs. "But Kagome, how are we going to hear all the juicy details of your conversation? And last I check, you def owe us some juicy gossip", Rin grins, quickly hopping from her spot on the bed to block Kagome's bedroom door.

"We promise to be as quiet as possible if you just let us ease drop for a bit", Sango simply replies, joining Rin in her position at the door. Kagome sighs deeply before shaking her head at the antics of her two shorter friends. "You know—if people knew how tricky you two can be…Fine, but remain out of sight. That means outside of a twelve feet radius of us—Rin. And no making ungodly sounds—San…", she complies. The girls giggle loudly as Kagome throws open her bedroom door and heads downstairs to grab her knapsack with her comrades trailing behind her.

* * *

InuYasha approaches the front door of the nearby residence, hoping to find someone to allow him to gain entrance to the Shrine. "_She better forgive me with all the trouble I have to go through to meet her at this place_", he mentally scoffs. Reaching the front steps, he rings the doorbell of the house and waits patiently as he hears the telltale signs of someone running to answer it.

The door opens to reveal a young teenage boy, looking to be about twelve or thirteen, with black tousled hair and a fair complexion to bring out the rich dark hues in his brown eyes. The little boy was still wearing his pair of black slacks, undoubtedly from a school uniform but only a loose white undershirt don his chest. "Hey, I'm looking for the entrance to the shrine", InuYasha begins. "We're not selling and tours are finished for the day", Souta mechanically replies staring closely at the silver locks on the stranger's head. "Yeah—I'm not here for either, kid. Look, my name is InuYasha Takahashi and I came to meet a girl named Kagome Higurashi at…", was all InuYasha manages to say before the kid throws open the door and yanks him inside.

"Whoa, wait, what's your problem?", InuYasha asks as he continues forward in surprise from the sheer force the boy holds on his arm. The boy suddenly stops short of the first archway into what looked like the dining area of the house. "MOM! KAGOME HAS A BOYFRIEND AND HE'S RICH! IT'S ONE OF THE TAKAHASHIS!", Souta shouts as he lets go of the stranger's arm. InuYasha scoffs as he listens to the voice of a woman reply, "Wait, what was that dear?" "I SAID THAT KAGOME HAS A RICH…", was all Souta got out before a pair of equally fair hands covered his mouth.

"IT'S NOTHING MOM, I JUST HAVE A VISITOR, I'LL BE BACK THOUGH", Kagome shouts in response as she pinches her brother into oblivion. "Ouch, okay, I'll shut up! What was that for?", Souta whines as he pulls himself away from Kagome's fingers. "Don't say anything to mom, we'll be back in a bit", Kagome rushes as she pushes InuYasha towards one of the houses side doors closest to the shrine's entrance. "But what about…", Souta begins before Kagome sends him a stern look to silence his unsaid question. "Just go upstairs, Souta", she replies as she leads InuYasha through the door before closing it behind her.

Just as the door closes, Souta rounds the corner to bump into the subjects of the unsaid question. "Hey, Sango, Rin. Why doesn't Kagome want anyone to know that she finally has a boyfriend?", he asks as the girls lead him into the dining room. "For one, it's not a date and two, as if—he's definitely not her boyfriend", Rin begins before Souta rudely comments, "Does that mean she has one? Psh—I should've known. There's no way sis is that lucky to be going out with someone like him, let alone anyone…" Sango clears her throat before Souta can finish that statement, stating, "She's just helping him studying like the nice person she is, right Souta?"

Right as Souta was going to retort negatively, his mother rounds the corner and he places on his innocent smile before replying, "Yes. She's so nice. Kagome sure loves helping out those in need." "What was that you were screaming earlier, Souta? Oh—I just finished the laundry so you girls can stay for dinner before I drop you home. Where's Kagome anyhow?", Kaori, Kagome's mother says handing Sango and Rin folded piles of their uniform. She had the same coloring as her daughter but she keeps her hair short, and dons to different shades of green complimentary to her grey eyes. Wiping her somewhat wet hands on her apron, she awaits a response from the grinning trio in front of her. "Uh… sis is out by the shrine. She's helping someone in a brief study session", Souta lightly covers as Sango's hand coaxes him with a slight squeeze when they slid to his shoulders.

"And we will love to stay for dinner", Rin chimes in, fidgeting with her frames. "Well then, tell Kagome that her friend can stay for dinner as well", Kaori begins as Sango cleverly replies, "I'm sure he'll be too busy to stay. Besides he'll be gone waaay before then." "Oh, it's a boy. Maybe I should go and just say hi", Kaori mutters as she heads towards the same direction Kagome left with InuYasha not too long ago. "Wait… he's really shy about meeting anyone", Rin calls out, shooting Sango annoyed glares as they quickly followed behind the walking woman. "It will only be a brief hello", Kaori nonchalantly replies before waving any further response from the girls. Sango and Rin could do nothing but follow closely behind to warn Kagome.

* * *

Kagome finally got InuYasha down to the well house as she throws open the door and clicks on the ceiling light. "Sorry about that. I have a nuisance of a little brother", Kagome apologizes as she grabs her French textbook out of her knapsack. "Uh… no big deal, I guess. Um… I'm sorry about Kikyo's behavior earlier, I had no time to stop her", he retorts, looking away ruefully. "I'm sure she didn't mean it", Kagome blinks before setting the textbook down. "So… yeah, how do we begin?", he asks, leaning against the boarded up well across from the entrance. "Let's start with the current homework assignment, and then we can…", Kagome begins before hearing the tell tale signs of her approaching mother and her nosey friends. Giving in to a deep sigh, she shakes her head before finishing her statement with, "finish this tomorrow".

"What?! After all the trouble I went through to get here", he complains. "If you want this to remain a secret you will do as I say and do it now", she barks just as her mother appears at the entrance with Sango and Rin standing behind her. "Kagome, who's this handsome gentleman?", Kaori asks. Before Kagome can reply InuYasha scoffs at her antics and heads toward the entrance. "Just a classmate. Thanks for the help, Higurashi", he rudely retorts as he steps through the open pathway Kaori presents.

After his departure, the well house fell silent as Kaori looks after the retreating figure. "I suppose he really is shy. I didn't catch his name…", she murmurs. "It doesn't matter mom. Is dinner ready?", Kagome cuts off, as her mother signals the girls back into the house.

* * *

The red Ferrari drives into the opening gates of the large Victorian fashioned Takahashi estate styled after the Fleur De Lys. Hopping out of the vehicle, the silver haired teenager hands his keys to the family's valet before walking into the double glass doors on the estate. With the door closing behind him with the help of the butler staff, the teen walks down the long burgundy carpeted hallway into the pristine, black and gold decorated dining room where his family, dressed in fitted, high cut suits, and with polished appearances awaits him while sitting at a large, black, marble table. Taking a seat at his usual chair, dinner continues in mild conversation until his name was called.

"So are you prepared for the upcoming changes, little brother?", the silver haired young adult snides towards the teenager. "What changes, bastard?", InuYasha taunts as the woman across from him tsks, "InuYasha, be nice". His mother, Izayoi Tama Takahashi, sits across from InuYasha with midnight black hair that shone with a blue undertone in the appropriate lighting, blanketing around her shoulders in a straight fashion and very fair skin. She was built like a voluptuous model with a distinct hourglass figure donning a tailored, gray Chanel suit. Simple white pearls covered her neckline and ears. Her purple irises stare intently at her son as she awaits his apology.

"It is fine, Izayoi… the mongrel merely needs to review proper etiquette in classic dinner settings. Even if you lack the attention span, the least you can do is feigning interest in the topic disgust at hand", Sesshoumaru teases. "Boys", their father warns as the two heirs silence their gripe. InuTaisho Takahashi was the genetic original as every male in his family line were born with his complexion. Olive skin, silver locks and amber eyes were traits of his genes along with extreme dominating attitudes. He sat at the head of the ten-foot dining table, dressed in a gray Armani suit with a black shirt peeking through the open lapels and gold cuff links decorating his wrists, looking regal despite his polished and perfectly sculpted facial features set in a squarish jaw line.

"What's new in life, Sesshoumaru?", InuYasha asks nonchalantly. Sesshoumaru Takahashi looks exactly like his younger brother except his eyes holds a slightly lighter, colder tone to the golden hues and his face was a tinge more delicate then the chiseled features of his father from the genetic jaw line of his passing mother. "Are you going to attend all your classes tomorrow?", Sesshoumaru icily retorts. Immune to his brother's cool voice, InuYasha scoffs, replying, "Where else would I go?" "In that case, this Sesshoumaru need not to repeat myself if you were not listening. You will find out in due time tomorrow morning", Sesshoumaru finishes as he excuses himself from the dining table with InuTaisho for their nightly business lectures.

Alone with his mother, InuYasha quickly finishes his meal and as he goes to leave the table, his mother's call stops his actions. "InuYasha… must you be so cruel to your brother?", she asks. "He started it. He always tries to bully me just because I'm younger. I think he's jealous because he's not as cool as I am", InuYasha sulks. "Nonetheless, you two must learn to be a little bit nicer to each other. Please, for me?", she gleams as InuYasha lightly groans before smiling and giving his mother a disgruntle hug.

* * *

Thursday morning brought the usual bout of routines for the students of Feudal High. As usual, Rin stands outside her open locker, the hallways empty of any passing students, as it was too early for the majority of the student body to be found on the premises. However, for Rin, she always made it her business to come in at this hour so that she can squeeze in a few more moments of studying before having to lug around her heavy backpack. Not being able to have any decent locker space due to her locker mate's incredulous rules, Rin now makes it her routine to come in early and monopolize the very little space she can find to place her belongings down before adding them to her back pains for the remainder of the school day.

As she was trying to figure out a way to get her Spanish textbook from the deep corner of the top shelf that Kikyo has pushed aside, a passing student in a black seniors uniform passes by the open locker and knocks it in his rushing pursuit. Rin, standing on the edges of a stack of books in her backpack, falls inward and knocks her bottom lip against the steel edge of the locker shelf, causing her glasses to fall off and skid across the hallway floor. Muttering under her breath, she carefully climbs down off her tilted backpack, and begins crawling on her hands and knees to search for the thin frames while gingerly touching the bubbling bruise under her lip. The hallway still silent except for the typical sounds of faculty entering and leaving the stairways to their classrooms, Rin was surprised the blurred vision of a black, senior's uniform, pant leg coming to stand in front of her.

"Hey, I'm looking for my glasses. They're thin, black and have a sort of oval shape. Have you seen them?", she meekly asks as she tries to ignore the ache of the screaming bruise under her bottom lip. With a disgruntled sigh, the voice answers back, "I think it went into the bathroom." "Oh, uh… thanks", Rin mumbles, as she stands right up and walks back to her locker, quickly closing it as she leaves her heavy bag to enter the ladies room at the end of the hall.

The disgruntled voice simply watches as she walks off. An eerie smile gracing his lips as he fingers the thin, oval frames in his pocket. With a jolt, he remembers the mission at hand and goes over a mental checklist before walking into the restroom behind the girl he just fooled and locking the door behind him.

* * *

The school day continues on, and the routine morning rush meets the students of Feudal High. As the usual gathering meet for the first period class of calculus, indeed, they did find a few changes. As the previous day rundown happens again, Sango and Kagome being late for being early, as well as Kikyo and InuYasha's posse strolling in late but in time for their names to be called in the attendance list, the first surprise was the absence of Ms. Baba at the head of the classroom and instead stood another silver haired young adult with devastatingly cold, amber eyes.

"Well, well dear brother, you manage to make it right on time… to be tardy that is. Wait until father learns of your practice", Sesshoumaru taunts as InuYasha and his gang took their seats at the back of the room with InuYasha's mouth hanging open in shock while trying to hold his tongue. As Sesshoumaru continues going down the attendance list, the next surprise came up. In the row where the trio usually sat, there was a vacant seat near the windows. "Rin Seiga… Am I mispronouncing it?", Sesshoumaru repeats to the class. "No… she's probably sick or something. Little brat shares a locker with Kikyo", Yura chimes in while twirling a stray strand of hair. With a slight nod, Sesshoumaru closes the attendance book before addressing the class.

"As the majority of you can comprehend, besides the other offspring of my father, I am also, Mr. Takahashi. During my stay at this institution I would be acting as the temporary teacher's assistant to Ms. Baba's classes and heading the new art study course. Though my stay here is only temporary, I assure you that I take my position rather serious and you would find yourself surely mistaken if you do not follow suit. It is expected that you lot continue on behaving as you normally would as well as rise beyond my expectations, even if the majority of you believe they are insurmountable", Sesshoumaru begins as silent awestruck students made no movement in the class.

With a slight smirk, he continues. "Unfortunately, Ms. Baba is not in attendance with us at present but that gives us an opportunity to know each other as everyone present will be able to benefit from the following exercise", he begins before clapping his hands to disrupt the eerie silence in the room. "To start this morning, we must address the issue of our lack of familiarity with one another. Our first exercise is for everyone to quickly stand and introduce yourself so that I can become better acquainted with your self-description. In the next minute, you should be able to establish your identities with name, ranking, and one peculiar observation about you. Failure to comply means detention", Sesshoumaru instructs as the class begins moving and rearranging tables.

After a round of everyone going through the introductions of themselves, Sesshoumaru has the class rearrange the tables into the previous lined formations before going over the previous assignment for the day. "Um… Mr. Takahashi, may I be excused and go to the restroom", Kagome politely asks as Sesshoumaru nods his head in approval.

* * *

On her way to the restroom, Kagome notices a few odd things on the second floor hallway. For one, Rin's green backpack was sitting outside her locker, and two, she can hear muffled coughing coming from the nearby restroom. Knowing that Rin will never leave her backpack unattended, Kagome peers inside to see Rin's school ID hanging from a clip before turning to the sound of the muffled screams coming from the girl's restroom at the opposite end of the hall. Walking slowly and quietly, Kagome slightly pushes open the bathroom door, only to find her feet in a thin layer of water trailing from the farthest stall in the corner of the lavatory. In the water were thin pink streaks steadily becoming darker as Kagome approached the stall.

Pushing the stall door open, she finds a sophomore girl bent over with her head submerge in the toilet seat. The uniform shirt was torn open with the red, plaid tie holding her hands together behind her back. A thin blood trail traces the edge of her shirt collar and continues down in splotches on the sleeves as her white, torn, wet stockings were bunched at her ankles with her black, buckled shoes dangling off her feet. At the gruesome sight, Kagome immediately tries to pull the girl out of the stall with modesty but that proved slightly difficult with the weight and lack of friction from the wet blood stained bra spilling a large chest through her open shirt. Only managing to get the girl in an upright position, Kagome tries to move the wet curls dangling in front of the girl's face and stops her act at the sight of familiar pink panda studs.

Screaming with dread, she pushes herself out of the stall, dropping the girl against the stall door before running out of the bathroom. The moment she came out of the girl's bathroom, she came face to face with the teacher's assistant, Mr. Takahashi. "Ms. Higurashi, what is the emergency?", Sesshoumaru sternly questions. "MY F-F-FRIEND, RIN… SH-SHE'S HURT!", she screams as Sesshoumaru bursts into the bathroom to grab the girl. Within a minute, he comes out of the bathroom with the wet body of sophomore cradled in his arms. Quickly, he and Kagome raced back up the hall and into the classroom as he hands Kagome his palm pilot to call for help.

* * *

Upon their entrance into the calculus class, everyone cease their conversations, turning their attention to the sight before them. Lightly, Sesshoumaru places the girl on top of the teacher's desk, as Sango jumps out of her seat to a stuttering Kagome trying to give directions to the operator on the other end of his phone. Sesshoumaru begins giving the body, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as Sango holds Kagome's shaking frame. "What the hell, happened? We heard the scream from here and—", Sango begins to question once Kagome hangs up the palm pilot and hands it back to Sesshoumaru. "S-sh-she's… Sango—it's Rin", Kagome finally stammers out as Sango stops her actions to peer closer at the body. At that moment, the body begins to jolt with a start and cough up all the liquid in her lungs. Without wasting a moment, Sango runs up to the girl on the desk and begins patting her exposed leg in comfort until she comes across a balled up piece of paper within the bunched stockings.

Ceasing her movements, Sango gingerly touches Rin's wakening body, pulling out the paper before reading it aloud. "**_Bet there's not enough spit in the world to cover your disgusting body…_**", the menacing script, reads. Seething in anger, Sango crumples up the paper as Kagome pulls out her phone to call Rin's father. Marching to the back of the room, she stops in front of Kikyo's desk. Ignoring the questioning looks from her peers, Kikyo sits on top of her desk, filing her nails as she peers up at the unexpected approach of the angered junior. The entire class stills as the next few moments go by rapidly. Sango swings at Kikyo's face, landing a punch, catching Kikyo's cheek with a sharp cracking sound before she begins to attempts to tackle her. Miroku quickly grabs Sango's body, pulling away from the strangling hold she had on Kikyo's shirt collar as InuYasha rescues and tries to comfort his girlfriend.

"WHAT THE FUCK? MIROKU, HOW CAN YOU DEFEND HER?", InuYasha asks as he glares at his best friend. Miroku doesn't get a chance to respond as Sango pulls herself away from his grip, shouting, "HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU JUST FUCKING SIT THERE AND FILE YOUR FUCKING NAILS? YOU THINK THIS SHIT IS FUNNY?! THAT WAS MEANT FOR ME AND YOU HAD SOMEONE DO THAT TO AN INNOCENT GIRL! WHAT THE FUCK DID SHE EVER DO TO YOU? WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU?!" Finally, Sango let's her stream off, crumpling on the floor as she quietly sobs into her palms. "YOU HAVE NO PROOF THAT SHE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!", InuYasha defends as Kagome blinks in disbelief, wrapping her arms around her enraged friend.

"WAKE UP MAN! ARE YOU THAT BLIND THAT YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED! JUST YESTERDAY, YOUR GIRLFRIEND WAS COMPLAINING SAYING SOMEONE WOULD PAY FOR HER HUMILATION AND NOW THIS HAPPENS. THAT IS TOO COINCIDENTAL TO IGNORE! BUT INSTEAD OF ASKING HER WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED YOU AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME SHE'S INNOCENT", Miroku shouts back, throwing the crumpled balled up threat at his friend's face. The class remains in stunned silence as the bitter shouting match came to a pause. Caressing Kikyo's cheek, InuYasha pulls her head into his chest as she sobs lightly from her bruise.

"If I were you I'll be careful who I call blind, Houshi. Because, all I see is a guy too strung out on a girl that he chooses to ditch the one person responsible for everything he has at this school. Thanks for showing where your loyalty lies, fuck off and go hang with those dweebs", InuYasha seethes as he turns away from the angered looks of his best friend. Miroku turns away from the silver haired teen to face the silver haired young adult at the head of the class. Looking to the rest of the viewing class, he evaluates the scene before him, groaning in anger but standing by his actions. Miroku finally pushes his way to the front of the room, leaving the classroom without another look back. Upon his departure, he passes by the two silently crying friends of the sophomore victim. With a slight nod at their huddling stance, he nearly misses the whispered "Thank you…", from the girl he claimed a conquest on as her friend shoots him pitiful looks. Quickly, he flees the scene with the classroom door closing softly behind him.

Rin finishes her coughing bout, blinking wildly as tears stream down her face. Sesshoumaru gingerly asks her to remember what happened while removing the jacket of his suit, covering her exposed body. "I just wanted some help… and then h-h-he… I tried to… but I was too weak…", she begins crying as her legs clamp shut. The ambulance comes into the classroom as the class was given an early dismissal and Kikyo was taken to be questioned. Rin was carried out on a stretcher with Kagome, Sango, and surprisingly Miroku cutting out on school to meet her at the hospital.


	4. Devoted Curiosity

**Devoted Curiosity**

Hours has long gone and passed as Rin lies still to the world, exhausted from the lines of questioning from psychiatrists, doctors and detectives as a media storm surround her hospital room. Her father, single guardian and CEO of Seiga Gaming Industries, Kenshin Seiga, finally manage to quiet their feverous request for a breaking story with pleas for his daughter's sanity. He leaves her in the room with her best friends guarding her hospital door in case some other crazed reporter tries to gather a story, as he himself drives around to find something she will stomach even with the shock. With the last of the psychiatrists and detectives long gone, Rin was left to continue being treated by doctors as numerous amounts of tests were run and evidence gathered.

With the samples collected for the rape kit to be processed and her body healing after the operation for the minor head contusions she suffered, Sango and Kagome take either side of Rin's hands, as she lies in asleep while her personal pediatrician finishes the last of her notes. Kenshin reenters the room with a basket filled with fresh breakfast items. "Good thing you girls are still here. Take this and share with the other gentlemen outside. Rin's doctor and I have a few things to discuss", he announces. The girls immediately follow directions, only taking a brief moment to squeeze Rin's limp hands as they exit the room.

The sound of the lock clicking shut brought the Kenshin's attention to Rin's pediatrician. "We meet again, Mr. Seiga. First, I must say, your daughter is entirely lucky her friends rescued and attended to her before her condition could have worsened. After running a few of the tests, an abnormal diagnosis came up. From the psychiatric exams, she seems to have a mild case of amnesia. Perhaps even with the shock and the coma we had to induce to treat her cranial injuries, she will recover. However, until then I'm prescribing Rin to a psychiatrist to see for the next couple few months after recovery. As for the results of her pap smear, there are some severe bruising against her cervix which unless treated can cause future cases of dyspareunia. Her attacker may have also exposed her to the beginning stages of Chlamydia. So with your signature, we can go ahead and start treatment."

"She was born with Chlamydia. My late wife had her operated on right out of the womb. She takes meds for it. I have instilled the entire routine in her since she was young. Please… don't inform her of the latter… at least not until I share it with her… she doesn't need a further burden", he rashly mutters. The doctor blanks her face at his request. "Mr. Seiga, although it is unethical, I am of no position to judge your actions regarding the welfare of your child. I do suggest getting some form of an updated treatment with discretion. Especially if you wish for your daughter to continue being at this facility, please have the remaining records transferred so that I can better assist her", she whispers at the sight of Rin beginning to stir. "I'll cross that bridge when she gets there… just please", Kenshin pleads as the doctor turns away and with a slight nod, dismisses herself from the room and onto her next patients.

* * *

Deep within her dream realm, Rin lies in a pool of a warm, sticky liquid, gasping in shock. Darkness surrounds her with her erratic breathing being the only thing that filled the silent air. Choosing the moment to sit up, a dim light appears in the distance far ahead of her. With her vision slightly blurred, she begins to looking around for her misplaced glasses in the abyss. Blinking slowly, she ignores the feel of the sticky liquid beginning to coat her hands while matting her hair to the back of head and her uniform to her body. Unable to find her glasses in her search, she stands up and tries to wipe her hands against her uniform skirt only to still her actions when her hands slipped against the usually textured fabric.

Raising her hands to her nose to take a slight sniff, she watches through blurred vision, the sticky substance slowly spill down her hands. She shrieks in horror at the realization that the substance was not only blood, but she was splattered with it. The search for her glasses abandoned as a dark chuckle fills the air, quieting her shrieks. "For someone with such a delicate and pretty voice, it's hard to imagine that you can spew such distasteful words", the voice calls out against the still air.

In the distant dim light, a figure with a dark hooded cloak stood. Rin immediately recognizes the pale skin of the hands that peek through the sleeves of the cloak. She screams a wordless fright as the reality of her world came crashing down as she remembers being attacked in the lavatory. The distant light begins to flicker with her screams, occasionally flashing to reveal the dark figure approaching her shocked stance. Without waiting for the next flash, she turns away from the figure and starts sprinting into the darkness.

The darkness soon shaped itself into the familiar remnants of Feudal high's school hallways as she always remembered it. Instead of the comforting bustling sound of movement and cluttered noises that usually surrounded her early morning routine of attending to her locker for class, the hallway was eerily silent as she could only hear her clicking footsteps skittering across the polished linoleum floors. Rin keeps on running until she came upon a door. With the chuckling voice still following her, she threw open the door only to cease movement at the sight before her. A flashback of her attack causes her skin to run cool as she tries to back away from her misery only to bump into the looming figure.

Before even gaining the chance to turn and look at the face of her attacker, the figure held a cool blade against her throat as his free arm pulled her body tight against his pulsing erection. "You don't remember me but I… remember you. I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you…but who can decide… what they dream? And dream I will do...," the figure poetically taunts as he caresses her skin. Rin muffles her screams as the edge of the blade digs slightly into her skin. He takes her lack of a worded response as defiance as he tightens his free arm around her waist, crushing her blood soak body against him. "Oh yes… I can feel the fear on your skin… Why won't you cry for me… Out on your own, cold and alone again…Can this be what you really wanted, baby?", he echoes as he grinds his body against her own, ignoring silent tears racing down Rin's face.

Just as he lowers the blade from against her skin, Rin takes the chance to stomp on his feet only to meet the backhand of his fist against the back of her head, causing her to crumple to the ground. Coughing sporadically, she attempts to crawl away only to slip in her useless rush on the growing puddle of water forming from one the toilet stalls. The dark figure was suddenly over her again. Rin closes her eyes as she prepared for her doom only to hear the sound of a comforting robotic male voice calling her name. A lightly, tanned hand graces her shoulder, making her spin around in fear and immediately try to crawl backwards away from the touch. However, she looks up expecting the dark figure only to come face to face with a completely different person haloed in golden light. He was dressed in a grayish pants suit and Rin could only stare in wonder as he removes his jacket and places it around her shuddering frame.

Her eyes try to focus on the caring figure in front of her but it was to no avail as all she can make out was a weird distortion of what she thought were his eyes. The color reminded her of a frozen sunlight. The sun trapped like a bug in amber stone. The consoling voice moves closer to her and just as she was about to make out a face… she awakes.

* * *

Sango, Kagome, Miroku and Sesshoumaru reenter the hospital room still dressed in their school garments hours after the ordeal, to see Kenshin trying to comfort his daughter. Refusing to look at the food that her father brought to soothe her qualms, Rin sits in her bed, a blank expression on her face, choosing to ignore the world around her as she pulls the sheets from her hospital bed over her head. With a knowing look, the girls retook their positions by her bedside. Unable to face his daughter while feeling helpless to her personal demons, Kenshin leaves the room on a search for more of Rin's favorite treats, asking the visitors to keep an eye on her.

Moments after Kenshin leaves the room, Rin removes the covers from over her head and breathes a sigh of relief. "Finally… I thought he would never leave. Now would you guys stop looking at me like that", Rin scoffs. "Rin… are you okay?", Sango asks tentatively rubbing one of Rin's hands . Slowly pulling her hands out of her friends' grips, Rin pulls the edges of her hospital garb over her exposed bruised shoulders. "How's your head feeling?", Kagome follows through, placing a cool palm against the few bandages on Rin's forehead and neck area. Shrugging away from her friend's touch, Rin sheepishly smiles. "Come on, guys—I'm fine. In a few months, this would be all forgotten…", she dismisses.

Silence fills the room as Sango begins sniffling. "I'm sorry…", Sango mutters, causing Rin to reach out and wipe at her single tear shed to escape a bed of dark lashes. "Please… don't blame yourself… if you think about it—it's better that it's…", Rin begins to joke. With a single look, Kagome calls out "Rin…", interrupting the antics of her friend. Suddenly Sesshoumaru approaches the bedside, handing Rin a replacement pair of glasses. This model was much thicker, rounder, and wider than her previous pair. "Your father had given instructions for you to wear these spectacles once you were coherent enough", he explains as he stares down intently at the deathly pale, ruffled hair student he rescued.

Slowly blinking through dark lashes, Rin puts on the glasses and adjust the temples accordingly before looking up and inwardly gasping at the man before her… the same one in her dreams. "Uh… thank you. Mister…?", Rin begins as she struggles to remember the man's name. "Takahashi, Sesshoumaru Takahashi: temporary teacher assistant for your calculus class at Feudal High. New instructor for the art design course, if you so choose to enroll", Sesshoumaru lightly introduces as he backs away from her gaze and the intensity she held when her eyes met his.

Taking a slight moment to himself, he replaces his inquisitive gaze with the steel, cold one he usually wears as he takes a seat away from her friends at the far corner of the bed. "_Silly girl. Why is she trying to distract her friends when her friends are clearly here for her to confide in them… It does speak volumes about her character… Either she lacks the mental capacity to understand that… or she truly is quite a spectacle…_", he mentally berates as he watches her from afar. "Sango… why is Lecherous Houshi here? No offense, but shouldn't you be with…", she begins to ask. "I don't want to talk about it…", Miroku dismisses. "It's a long story, Rin…", Kagome sighs. "Then are you—", Rin laughs as Sango covers her mouth.

"No… we barely had a moment to talk, let alone—", Sango begins to explain only to be cut short by the familiar caress of Miroku's hand on the curve of her back. In an instant, Miroku found himself on the receiving end of Sango's smack as he cradles his cheek with his other hand. "Sorry, my hand has a mind of its own. It was mainly to console you, no funny business", Miroku explains with a pout. Rin laughs at their hijinks before yawning. "Really? You can't be tired. You've been asleep for the past 6 hours…", Kagome jokes. "Yeah but that was because the hospital forced me…", Rin smiles. Shaking her head in amusement, Kagome joins Sango in kissing their friend on the cheek. "Fine. We'll leave you for now but we'll be back tomorrow, after class…", Sango explains.

Rin lightly nods her head as she receives two light hugs from her comrades. Soon the trio of high schoolers left the room with Sesshoumaru sitting in a corner watching the pale, fragile looking girl in bed. His hard, amber eyes quickly soften at the sound of a soft whimper escaping her lips as she tries to adjust herself into the available comforters. Uncomfortable at the unveiled showing of emotion, he approaches the bed cautiously before stopping to stand at her side. "Is there something I can provide for you, Ms. Seiga? If you wish—I can bring your comrades back in here", he lightly asks. A pale hand quickly shot out from underneath the bed sheets as she places a death grip on his forearm.

"I'm still me… Rin Seiga… right? That was a horrible dream, right… yeah… all of it wasn't real… that can't happen to me… Tell me this isn't real", Rin weakly begs, pulling back her hand to cry into her palms. Conforming to the idea that she would like someone more familiar to speak with, Sesshoumaru begins to exit the room after giving her light tap on her back. Just as he turns the doorknob, a fragile voice breaks through his escape routine as she whispers, "Don't go… I can't be selfish enough to ask that of them when I know they were here for so long. They done so much already. My dad would be back… just wait with me until then… I don't want to be alone… please…" Frozen in his actions, Sesshoumaru turns back to the bed to take a seat in the available chair by the girl. The two sat and remain in an awkward silence before Rin had the courage to speak up. "I'm sorry. You must be busy. You don't have to stay here if you just feel pity. I don't want anyone's pity…", she glowers.

"This Sesshoumaru is not one to hand out sympathy or pity for that matter. I am simply here for your own protection from yourself. Besides, you are the last person who has any say on my presence", he retorts leaning back into the chair with a cool glare on his face. Rin snorts before replying, "You're kidding me, right? Your actions speak different then your words. And I don't need protection… at least not anymore… as if I can scare anyone now." "Believe what you like but this Sesshoumaru will remain here until you are in a better condition and can prove my conclusion false", he lightly smirks before opening his eyes to turn his entire cold gaze on her. Rin blinks slowly before sighing in defeat and forcing herself to recline into her bed.

* * *

Meanwhile across the town in a dark alley behind a mansion styled after Silicon Valley Chateau, two dark figures, one male and one female, argue vehemently in a close corner. "I told you to get the mouthy one who always has her hair in a ponytail. Moreover, your goons got the complete opposite. Now you could get me in trouble", the girl complains. The male figure pushes the girl against the wall, causing her to shriek in surprise at the force behind the frail man.

"Silly Kikyo… sometimes I truly forget how selfish you can be. I held up my part of the deal, now you will have to hold up yours", he finishes before leaning in to plant chaste kisses against her collarbone. Remaining completely still, the girl seethes, "You disgust me, N—oh god", as her spiteful growls turn into lustful moans at the feel of his hands fondling her breasts. "And you love it… you want to be appalling… am I right, Kikyo?", he teases before ceasing his actions to listen to her groan in protest.

"It's whatever goes on in your psychotic head, Naraku", she retorts before slowly going to her knees. "Meanwhile, I'm just going to make sure, everything is going fine with this head", she finishes before gripping his stifled erection and freeing it from the constraints of his school trousers. Taking her gaze away from the erect penis, Kikyo looks up to the fragile boy to see a dark joy spread across his lips as her mouth begins to engulf the smooth appendage. Shuddering from the fear she hides behind the look, she begins her tirade and sucks him until exhaustion. While nipping her way down his shaft, an idea strikes her. "_There has to be some way I can use him. I have to get back into power… recover my standing. I already have my homework taken cared of for the year… I got it_", she mentally debates.

Quickly rising to her feet, she leaves a hot and flustered Naraku standing in front of her as she signals him to wrap up. "What's going on? I don't sense anyone…", he begins before being silenced with a crushing kiss, forcing him to recapture a few breaths once the moment passed. "First, I need you to completely take care of that rude bitch and then I want you to secure my winnings for every high title in the yearbook", she demands after fixing her appearance. "What will I get in return?", he comments while stoically zipping up his pants. "All of me… outside of my hands and my mouth", she erotically whispers against his ear. Naraku smirks at her answer before quickly dropping down to press his nose against her leg. He slowly rises, taking time to rub and sniff every inch of her body along the way, pausing to place a hickey on the exposed skin against her inner thigh, before straightening himself out completely and turning his back to her.

"Our next meeting will be soon. Just remember your part of our bargain", he mutters before exiting the alley, leaving the slightly ravished Kikyo to glide back to her home. As he discreetly exits the opening to the alley, he hops into his black Durango with the parting thought, "_that little girl has no idea she's dancing with the devil_", and driving back to his estate.

* * *

Later on that night, after waiting for Rin to fall asleep without sniffling, Sesshoumaru exits the room with her father promising to stay by her side. He was out of the hospital and into his black Bugatti, but his normal path to driving home was sidetracked with many late night restaurants. "_Ms. Seiga, did not consume a proper meal for the entire duration of my watch of her. I wonder if she eats—and this is none of my concern. Nevertheless, it is not as if she has a sufficient support system she can sufficiently rely on… Perhaps, it was too soon to leave her side—especially when my curiosity was not sated… it would not hurt to silently check on her_", he mentally concludes.

Figuring it was a very coincidental sign, he decides to turn around at the last minute and check on the girl who managed to mull her way into his sanity. Upon entering the hospital, he finds chaos on the floor with Rin's room and was less than surprised to find the door to her room wide open. Inside was a crowd of nurses and doctors shouting at what seemed to be the window area. Venturing into the room, he bypasses her yelling father, pleading on his knees from the windowed area.

Pushing his way through the crowd he comes face to face with the girl, tears streaking across high cheekbones as she stands against the edge of the hospital room balcony with a mist slicking her skin with the light rainfall. The surrounding nurses and doctors, quiet their calls as they watch in wonder at the confidence the Ice King seemingly exudes. Putting his anxiety underneath his composed face, he calls out in a mocking tone, "I do not gloat but I would to point out that you are indeed still a danger—" "Why are you here? You don't even know me", Rin interrupts in a disjointed voice. A slight wind picks up the morning chill in the dewy air as stray curls of Rin's hair start to blow around her.

"Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to that inquiry. From the evidence I have collected, you are a very impressive person to begin with Ms. Seiga. You are the top of your sophomore class, and you are the top student in academic ranking of the entire senior student body at Feudal High. Are you telling me, that I will not have the pleasure of teaching someone with your intellect? Certainly you would find it discourteous to bring an end to something so extraordinary", he comically retorts, drawing the girl out of her trance.

"I suppose this is all a joke to you then. My life doesn't matter. None of it matters. If I was really special or even if I was as smart as you may believe, this wouldn't have happened—NO! Death will be the only way to keep me pure, won't it? I can't rewind time… but I don't have to sit here and let it pass either", she mutters. Carefully, Sesshoumaru climbs out onto the narrow ledge, hugging his body against the outer hospital walls to approach the frail-looking girl, lightly holding his hand out in a promising gesture. "Ms. Seiga, this is not the conclusion you seek… as a matter of fact, the answer you wish could not be any further from you by coming to this rationale", he calmly calls out against the winds as Rin inches away from him.

At that precise moment, lighting cracks across the morning sky as the light rainfall begins to pick up. "Back off… I said I don't want your pity… I don't want anyone's pity… they may all say one thing but everyone looks at me the same way. I don't want to see those faces on the people I care about... I don't want to see anything anymore…", she cries softly. "Ms. Seiga, while you are correct in your facial distinguishing, you fall behind in your interpretation of the meaning behind those looks. Allow me to prove and teach you the proper way to observe and make inferences about those very looks. In the end, this Sesshoumaru would prove to you the many sections and secrets this life has that would be lost if you continue on your rationale", he promises, thrusting his hand out to hover over the fingers she dug into the grooves of the outer brick wall.

Maneuvering ever so slightly, Rin begins to scoot closer to Sesshoumaru's outstretched hand, a subconscious gaze marring her face as she tentatively touches his fingers. "You promise?", she mumbles as the next few moments happened quickly. With Sesshoumaru's hand closing around her small lithe fingers, Rin inches closer only to slip on a severely slick edge and fall off the thin ledge. Luckily, with her grip secured in his, at the last moment, Sesshoumaru swings her body towards his own, changing the cadence of the fall and in turn causing himself to slip and fall back into the open air.

The two remain in suspension, Rin wrapping her arms around Sesshoumaru's waist in a bone-crushing grip with her petite frame pressed against Sesshoumaru's abdomen. Sesshoumaru manages to hold their weight with his one arm extended above them and his fingers holding onto the very ledge the duo just nearly fell completely off. Slowly tearing the seam of his suited blazer, Sesshoumaru holds in screams of pain at the feel of his arm nearly coming out of its socket. Looking down, he tighten his hold on Rin's hospital gown as she cries frantic tears. Soon the hospital crew begin quickly arranging a way to get the duo inside without causing further commotion.

His heart thudding in his ears, he allows the weeping girl to cling to him as the weather begins to lighten again. "_I, Sesshoumaru Takahashi is out risking my livelihood because of one peculiar girl. While the intent is frivolous at best, I have never felt more… alive. Perhaps I should extend the same objective to myself. It would be a privilege to enjoy doing something outside of securing my name and future. This girl… she is the answer_", he mentally comforts himself as he ignores the gnawing pain in his left arm. Finally, hospital attendants manage to get a few strong men into the room to pull the couple up. In no time, Sesshoumaru and Rin were back in the hospital room with mindful nurses rushing to check out both patrons. Upon reentering the room, Sesshoumaru was pulled away, taken to dry off as Rin was back in her father's arms as he cocoons her body with his.

* * *

Hours later, Sesshoumaru returns to Rin's improved room, dressed in the white dress shirt he wore under his jacket with his arm in a sling from having torn a few ligaments along with dislocating his arm. Rin was sitting in her bed, her window barricaded, Kenshin resting outside her hospital door, exhausted from the fright and overwhelming emotions his child has put him through in less than 24 hours. A silent tension fills the room as Rin fights to meet his eyes when he takes a seat against the edge of her bed. "Thank you…", she meekly quips. "It would have been a pity for the world to never know what could have come of Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru idly chides.

"You sure have a peculiar way of imposing yourself. However, it's not as if you can trick me again. Besides, you won't even be here all the time—wait, you won't be here… that is—all the time, right?", she groans. Rolling his eyes at her dramatic response, Sesshoumaru absentmindedly replies, "Although this Sesshoumaru finds your challenge amusing, please rest assure that my physical presence will not be needed with the new parameters in place by yours truly. If you so choose to try that same stint again, you would be met with some serious retribution…And for added measure, yes. This Sesshoumaru is never too far." "Seriously—Why. Do. You. Even. Care?", Rin frowns.

"Why is that a girl such as yourself remotely interested in such a response?", he scoffs, ignoring her glares. "Try me…" Taking the next daring step, Sesshoumaru leans dangerously close against Rin's face, close enough that the tip of their noses touched as pale brown eyes met pale amber orbs, only to find himself surprised at her lack of response.

"Interesting… close proximity to me does not affect you", he mutters against her skin. "Has anyone ever told you that you look ridiculously pretty—like in a girly way", she replies in a confused tone. A baffled expression mars Sesshoumaru's face, causing Rin to laugh aloud and him to jerk back in surprise.

"This Sesshoumaru fails to see what is so funny", he sulks as he replaces his inactive cold mask. "Let me guess, you don't usually have girls being so unresponsive towards you? You didn't need to invade my personal space to come up with that conclusion though… Even if you do look like InuYasha, you don't have that dazed, dumb look he has." "Pardon my previous approach then… perhaps we can form a companionship from our dislike of the mongrel", he inquires in an untrusting manner.

Rin's comical expression smoothes into a blank one as she explains, "I don't know what to say to that… I never had much interaction with guys… Especially within Feudal High… I'm not usually the one anyone looks at. In addition, with my attack… I'm sort of afraid…" "Good, then my first mission would be enabling you to trust the presence of the opposite sex again. Then we can revisit the question of companionship", Sesshoumaru concludes. "I guess, it couldn't hurt… Just do me a favor and promise to never hurt me… the few guys I do have in my life, usually end up doing so", Rin solemnly confides.

Backing away from the girl in question, Sesshoumaru merely nods before offering his free hand for her to shake. "Hopefully, one day you will be able to see yourself in a better light, Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru promises. "Me too…", Rin sighs. At that moment, Kenshin, reenters the room, causing the two to pull apart. Sesshoumaru excuses himself after being repetitively thanked by Mr. Seiga before leaving the scolding match to occur behind closed doors.


	5. Closer Ties

**Closer Ties**

A week goes by without much incident as Sesshoumaru makes good on his promise. Between visits from her friends, her father and Sesshoumaru himself, Rin was never left alone outside of supervised rest. Soon Rin was checked out of the hospital and put under house arrest until Feudal High made some security provisions at Kenshin's request. After begging and pleading to remain at Feudal High despite her father's wishes, she convinced him that if she were deemed socially inept after the therapy sessions then she would follow his wishes.

Unfortunately, that was far from an easy feat as Rin barely saw the outside world for the pass month, other than the inside of her therapist office and the journey there with Kenshin, escorting her. Still, Sesshoumaru made it a point to always stop by before the sessions and give Rin an unusual item. He would then give her a confusing proverb, cluttering her mind as he challenge her to solve the meaning behind the proverb before he returns the following week.

Finally, the day came where Rin was diagnosed socially competent and able to return to the halls of Feudal High under close supervision. Before entering her therapy session, Rin was confused about the absence of Sesshoumaru with another pestering proverb, but the thought was pushed aside for the idea of him finally taking a rest on her. Rin was more than surprised to spot Sesshoumaru waiting outside of the therapist's office, in the reception area, reading The Wall Street Journal.

Trying to sneak past the man before he can annoy her with another proverb riddle, she turns to the receptionist and asks to buy a cap and pair sunglasses off her. Right as she tucks the last of her dark hair curls into the cap and places the shades over her glasses, Rin turns around only to bump into the suited chest of the persistent man in question. "Going somewhere, Ms. Seiga?", Sesshoumaru blinks, taking note of her slightly disheveled appearance. Squirming under his gaze, Rin begins to play with the edges of the long sleeved, white, oversized hello kitty sweater she wore over a pair of black leggings and pink high top sneakers. Shaking his head in disapproval, he removes the cap from Rin's head to reveal her unruly, curly raven tresses matching her curly bangs. A simple pink hair clip keeps her crazy hair somewhat tamed as the wavy massed was pinned back on one side of her head, revealing her usual panda earring studs.

"Stop fidgeting Ms. Seiga, you look fine", Sesshoumaru smirks as he carefully removes the shades poised over her thin spectacles. "Says the guy who walks around looking amazing in suits nearly every waking moment of his day", Rin mumbles as she pouts causing Sesshoumaru to cough lightly to hide his slight chuckle. "I assure you Ms. Seiga, looking first-class is a practice art. Now, this Sesshoumaru has alerted your father that I would make sure you got home safely. So climb aboard", he instructs as he leads her outside the office to the black Bugatti parked outside. "Can you spare me a little more time outside. Lately, I haven't been able to just breathe without someone on my neck. No offense…", Rin pleads. "None taken, Ms. Seiga. I take it as a mark that you have acquired a better sense of existing with your alteration of attitude", he dismisses, quickly locking his vehicle with the click of the alarm on his set of keys.

Quicker than he can comprehend, Sesshoumaru soon finds Rin halfway down the block, speed walking away from his presence. Pocketing his keys, he took after her with larger steps and an even quicker pace. "Ms. Seiga, this Sesshoumaru demands that you halt this modest chase", he seethes as he finds himself on her heels but still just out of her reach as she bobs and weaves amongst the clusters of people out on the sidewalk. Finally, getting annoyed at her antics, Sesshoumaru takes the moment to turn the little game around and stops his movement to hide behind a passing tree. Rin, stops shortly after, no longer being able to hear the sounds of Sesshoumaru's footsteps behind her, she turns around to find herself alone on the sidewalk as people continue moving past her.

Walking back a few steps, fear begins to play on the ends of Rin's psyche as she carefully walks back up the sidewalk, looking around corners in an apprehensive state of mind. Lightly, she begins to call out. "Mr. Takahashi? Where are you? Mr. Takahashi… Sesshoumaru… please, stop… this isn't funny…" Getting closer to hysterics, Rin nearly walks past him before Sesshoumaru reaches out and grabs her shoulder. A quick gasp escapes her lips as she turns angered eyes onto the slightly amused ones of the man she was looking for. Shrugging away his grip on her shoulder, she folds her arms amongst herself in a pouting manner as Sesshoumaru raises an eyebrow in question at her actions. "Not so amusing. Is it, Ms. Seiga?", Sesshoumaru begins to quip before catching sight of tears building on the rim of the brown orbs behind the spectacles.

"I was scared… I thought you really left me… and I tried to take deep breaths… but it didn't work", she lightly whispers as tears race down her flushed cheeks. Sesshoumaru removes a handkerchief from the pocket on his suit jacket and hands it to Rin as she wipes away the leaking tears on her face. "Allow me to give my deepest apologies, Ms. Seiga. This Sesshoumaru never meant to frighten you. Permit me make it up to you", Sesshoumaru begins only to have Rin turn away from his words, readjusting her glasses with the gesture. "No more stupid riddles…" she sighs. Sesshoumaru stiffens his composure, simply turning foot and heading right back to where he parked his car with Rin trailing after him.

An awkward silence envelops the duo as they hastily climb into the vehicle with tension surrounding them. Half way through the drive, Rin gathers her composure and looks over at the statuesque man sitting in the driver seat, gripping the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles begin to turn white. Rin suddenly laughs, causing Sesshoumaru to quickly pull over and stop the car. "What?!", she asks, trying to stifle her giggling. "This Sesshoumaru lacks the knowledge of what you find so amusing Ms. Seiga", he icily retorts. "Look—I appreciate the riddles. I really do—but come on, they're boring to solve all the time. A girl likes to relax once in awhile. Even you have to admit, that you had some fun chasing me down the street, otherwise you wouldn't have played such a dirty trick. That was the first time in a long time that I seriously laughed and had fun. I guess I have you to thank for that. However, right now you're making that a little hard with your expression right now. I guess I never knew, you—the Ice King, can get your pride hurt because of little ol' me", Rin explains with a large smile on her face.

"This Sesshoumaru is glad you found amusement at my expense Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru replies with a stoic voice. "Come on—don't be like that. Don't tell me you never want to let your hair down, you know. You can call me Rin… that is if you give me permission to call you by your name—Mr. Takahashi", Rin beams. "I allow the present circumstance on the condition that it would be done so only with the existing party, Ms—Rin", Sesshoumaru agrees with a slight smirk. "Agreed, Sesshoumaru. Now—where exactly are we? I don't recognize this part of town", she exclaims, looking out the windows at her surroundings. "I figured something sweet would cheer you up", Sesshoumaru replies, pointing out the small ice cream parlor he was currently parked.

"Did anyone ever tell you that devouring sweets is one of my few indulgences?", Rin smiles as she quickly unbuckles her seat belt to hop out of the car. "Something definitely worth living for?", Sesshoumaru jests, climbing out after her and turning the alarm back on as he follows her into the parlor. "Ha-ha… nice one Sesshoumaru, but I guess life does seem a bit better with ice cream", Rin beams before turning around only to walk straight into the glass door to the ice cream parlor. Removing the glasses from her face, Rin begins to clutch her nose in anguish as she looks over at the silver haired young man to find him lightly chuckling. "Are you laughing at me, Sesshoumaru?", she pouts, pinching the slightly bruised bridge of her nose. "No, Rin… I would never", he lightly smiles.

* * *

Another month has passed and the drama-induced teens has been following a quiet and mundane lifestyle as gossip spreads and cools around Feudal High about the concealed rapist within the school. New safety protocols has been set in place not only to separate the girls from the boys but to make sure neither sex is left to go anywhere alone. All was done to appease the interest of Kenshin, before allowing her to return to the school upon her request. With the growing protocols, teachers were assigned to particular groups of students to make sure their escorted on and outside their school campus. Given the circumstances, Sesshoumaru immediately volunteered to be Rin's, with Kenshin backing up the request. The school board agreed and arrangements were made so that Sesshoumaru would escort her as she deems comfortable within the school parameters.

During the passing month, Sesshoumaru has made himself known to the students as the handsome teacher assistant with a wintry demeanor but an unexplained amiability. Multiple schoolgirls created fan clubs dedicated to his best assets but to their avail, he never personally invited himself to make an appearance at any. Instead, every afternoon, he'll find himself checking on Rin, only hanging out with her on a few more occasions outside her therapy sessions. Unknowingly to both, a deeper connection and dependency was soon formed as their relationship resolved into an unsaid and unfounded friendship.

* * *

Finally, it came to be another Monday morning in early November. It was due time for her to mingle back with her high school peers, namely the other two who became her best friends, Sango &amp; Kagome. However, this morning was a peculiar delay in the morning routine as Rin attempted to return to old habits.

"Rin, you would not say another word on the subject! You are not to leave this house until I'm ready to drive you to school myself", Kenshin declares in anger. "I thought everything was supposed to return to normal. And normally… you wouldn't mind. You used to be a believer of it being better I arrive early then on time", she counters while throwing on her green knapsack. "That's true for the business world. Of which you will eventually take over for me, but first I want to secure your safety", Kenshin confides, blocking the exit of the front door. "If this charade is all because of what happened… I swear it won't happen again. Dad, if I return back to the old ways… maybe I can recognize my attacker… and…" Rin begins. "You'll what? ALL YOU'LL DO IS GET YOURSELF INTO TROUBLE AGAIN AND MAYBE THIS TIME YOU WON'T SURVIVE", he shouts back.

"So now… this… it's all… my fault", Rin whimpers as she backs away from her father to hide her tears with her bangs. "Rin… please don't do that… you know I can't say no to you when you're like this", he pleads before walking up to his daughter to raise her glasses and begin wiping away her tears with a napkin. "It's because I'm just like mom… right? She was weak too", Rin mutters ignoring the inward gasp her father takes. Just then the doorbell rings and Rin steps around her shocked father and goes to open the door. Swinging the door open in anxious request for any distraction to pull her away from the situation she has just created, she was more than shocked to see a familiar silver haired adult standing in front of the door, dressed orderly as usual. "Good Morning, Ms. Seiga. This Sesshoumaru has arrived to escort you to the school", he says holding out his arm in chivalrous fashion.

Rin turns back around just in time to see her father already heading into the kitchen. "I guess this solves your dilemma dad. Mr. Takahashi is going to escort me to school. I see you at dinner", she calls out over her shoulder as she closes the door behind her. With the front door locked and closed, she eagerly grabs onto Sesshoumaru's outstretched arm as he leads her to the front passenger seat of his black Bugatti. Closing the door behind her, he steps into his driver's side as the duo buckle up methodically. With a smile, she turns her attention to his blank face as the drive begins in a dull silence.

"So… this is going a bit beyond the call of duty, don't you think. I know you're my escort when on school grounds but I didn't know that courteousy extended outside of the premises. I'd say it was highly uncanny of you", she lightly jokes as she twiddles her thumbs in anxiousness. "This is an extra precaution. I figured your father would be inundated on the day of your return", he lightly smirks, ignoring her shrewd face as he cracks open the windows to the vehicle. Leaning forward to the glove compartment in front of her, Rin pulls open the lid to find an iPhone in a neon pink case with her name labeled on the back.

"What's this?", she asks. "Curiosity killed the cat… just so you know. This Sesshoumaru would prefer if you kept your hands to yourself while he's operating this vehicle", he dictates as he rounds the corner to the school entrance. "Oh… kay…You never answered my question though, unless this is your phone and you don't want to admit you like cute, girly things", she calmly teases. Sesshoumaru nearly stops the car in the middle of the street as he leers at the girl next to him before pulling over and out of traffic's way.

"As a matter of fact, this Sesshoumaru has a morbid fascination with things fashioned cute and girly like yourself… so much so that he went and purchased a cellular device custom made to your persona as discovered through brief interactions with your companions. Did you find my answer to your liking?" "Psh… yeah, right. Nice try, but me being remotely attractive to you is so not as funny as your potential homosexuality if not transgendered suggestions", Rin idly replies, rolling her eyes at his antics. "Believe as you desire, Rin. However, I would watch your words while existing on the furthest extent of my courteous manners", Sesshoumaru intensely mutters as he starts the car again and continues the ride.

"The phone is a gift for you in order to stay in contact with the very people you worry. I found a flaw in your father's logic in you not possessing a mobile device so this Sesshoumaru took it upon himself to have one provided for you. It is paid for and programmed so you can call myself via emergency contact", Sesshoumaru finishes as he pulls in to park in his spot in the teacher's lot. "You can't expect me to just accept this with no questions asked?", Rin scoffs in disbelief. "You can and you will… now hurry along to class Ms. Seiga", he dismisses as he turns off the ignition to the car.

Exiting the car, he briskly crosses the car to open the door for Rin as both fix their slightly disheveled, windblown appearance before departing separate ways. As Rin makes her way pass the student entrance to Feudal High, and to her locker, she silently shrieks in joy while holding the phone that she didn't notice the presence of her dark nemesis standing behind her.

"Well, if it isn't the school's skank. Oh, help me I've been raped… yeah, right. We all know that the incident was a cry for attention so people would know other guys actually want you. That's really pathetic, hun. Well guess what, the only one who wants you, wants you dead", Kikyo taunts menacingly into Rin's ear as Rin cringes under her every word. "KIKYO, JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!", Sango shouts as she and Kagome comes to Rin's rescue just as Kikyo chose to lean away from the cowering girl. "You're lucky your loser friends are here to save you because otherwise we all know where you'll be. You want things back to normal… well, here it is", Kikyo finishes whispering before shouting out, "I'm out of here, losers."

As soon as Kikyo rounds the corner, leaving the trio in front of their shared locker, Rin collapses to the floor in anguish as she tries to take deep breaths to stop her panic attack. Kagome and Sango take either side of her small frame as they attempt to comfort her. "Rin… whatever she said, you know it isn't true…she's just scared because with you back people would start whispering about how much of a bitch she is again ", Kagome confides while patting Rin's back. Sango hands Rin a handkerchief from her pink satchel, cleaning her friend's glasses as Rin finally gets her breathing under control.

"Come on, let's head to first period Calc. Oh, Rin, you missed so much when you were gone. The hot new T.A somehow keeps Kikyo's posse in place. I think it's because he's InuYasha's older brother so he doesn't want to be tattled on at home", Sango gossips as they enter the classroom to see Ms. Baba sitting at her front desk, awaiting the ring of the school bell. As the trio walked and sat in their claimed seats, Rin's gasp causes the other two to stop their preparatory actions to turn to her. "What's wrong Rin?", Kagome asks as she leans over, only to see Rin paused in her actions with the lid of her desk still raised, staring intently at the contents within her desk. Rin slams down the desk, as the entire room becomes quiet upon the entrance of Sesshoumaru and the simultaneous ringing of the school bell.

Rin looks up to come face to face with a smug Kikyo as her posse looks around with confused glances. "So… that's what everyone thinks of me now…", Rin mutters before quietly standing from her seat and attempting to rush out of class. "Ms. Seiga, if you leave now, you will be tardy. And protocol says…", Ms. Baba begins as Rin throws open the door shouting, "SCREW THIS SCHOOL AND SCREW THE PROTOCOL!", and proceeds to run out of the room in tears. Sango stands up and opens Rin's desk to see red ink splashed all over the contents within with words like "**_SKANK_**" and "**_SLUT BAG_**" etched in every crevice with graphite and pen marks. Sesshoumaru walks over to the open desk and inspects the same design that has rendered Sango speechless.

"You. Mr. Takahashi and Ms. Miko. You are to take this desk outside and clean every inch of it", he orders. "I hope you're talking to yourself, bastard", InuYasha growls. "Besides we had nothing to do with this", Kikyo chimes in. "Does this Sesshoumaru look like he cares. I failed to see the question in my direction. Besides if you don't do it, a seat in detention would be your reward", Sesshoumaru threatens. "That's not fucking fair, Ms. Baba…", InuYasha begins before being silenced with a raised palm from the aforementioned woman. "Do as Mr. Takahashi says, Mr. Takahashi", Ms. Baba chuckles as a grumbling InuYasha and Kikyo leave the room to go to the janitor. Once the two depart, the class returns back in order as Sesshoumaru excuses himself to go look for Ms. Seiga.

* * *

Rin has made her way toward the eastern wing of the school and now sits on the roof of Feudal High, her knees drawn to her chest, glasses strewn aside as she sits in a huddle, crying her eyes out in anger. "_Why do I even try anymore… Maybe I should just change schools… Kagome and Sango would stay in contact… I didn't do anything to deserve that…_", her mind bitterly comments. "Is that what everyone thinks of me? Maybe Kikyo's right, I'll be better off dead", she mumbles aloud. What Rin wasn't expecting was the following response from a now familiar yet irritating male voice, "Is that so? It is quite the contrary Ms. Seiga. As I see it, you are incredibly stunning as a human being. So much so, that your peers—especially those lacking any form of profundity—will do anything to demolish any frame of confidence you hold", Sesshoumaru comments before closing the roof door lightly. "As if—I doubt she even cares that much… what are you doing here? Don't you have a class to torture", Rin scowls as she rubs moist eyes in contempt.

"I am here to fulfill my obligation on the pledge I made you a few months ago", he comments. A beat of silence passes between the two as Sesshoumaru takes a seat next to her against the ledge of the building. "I relinquish you… you and your so called obligation… so please go away. I'm not going to jump again… At least not today. No one needs to see me like this—especially you. I just need to be left alone…" Rin whispers as she replaces the frames on her face. "Rin, look at me", he commands as she drops her knees to turn her weary eyes to the ground.

With one hand, he lifts her chin with the tip of his forefinger so that her defiant eyes met his. "I see nothing of mishap here. I do not suppose anyone would be able to observe anything—oh, wait. I am mistaken. There—behind your lack of self regard—ah, a logic of worth… now that is worth seeing…", he declares, glaring past the gleam of the spectacles to the browned orbs hidden behind them. Smiling lightly to herself, Rin pulls her face out of his grip, looking coyly to the ground as she mumbles, "Thank you but I wish you would stop. I know my worth. I'm—pathetic… I always look to you for the answers now but it's not as if you can tell me how to be brave…" "Rin—you have the authority within yourself… No one can wound you or your ego without your permission—"

"That's easy for you to say. You're the frigging Ice King and even before that, everyone called you the Frozen Angel. You have no idea what it means to be inferior… to be weak… to be useless", Rin lashes out, pushing at the solid sitting stance of the elder silver haired instructor. "The amusing thing is that I essentially do, Rin. As unbelievable as it sounds, I too once stood on this very earth feeling as powerless as you do now…" With wide eyes staring intently in front of her and out into the school's landscape, Rin takes a deep breath, tentatively reaching her hands out and cupping Sesshoumaru's nearest fingers, changing the cold steel expression he was staring her down with into a softer, intrigued one.

Tears rolling onto her cheekbone, she takes another deep breath before whispering, "How did you get through it? You're here now… you're alive… How did you get through it all… all alone—I'm not sure if I can be that strong…" Before she can finish that thought, she finds herself pulled into Sesshoumaru's embrace, the fingers once in her grip now rubbing small circles in her narrow shoulders, as his arm snakes over her shoulder and holds her small, doll-like head over his left lapel. "I discover a very priceless lesson…Life has the possibility to present you solitary agonizing alternatives but that is not a pretext to not formulate a selection for that is the primary step to valor." "But—", Rin begins to mutter as Sesshoumaru relinquishes his hold on her. "All in all, it is with that belief that it is known that courage is not having the energy to go on - it is going on when you don't have energy."

Wiping away her fallen tears with a spare handkerchief in his pocket, Sesshoumaru looks down at the girl before him with slight tenderness as she smiles lightly at his attentions. Another moment passes before the duo regained their composures and stood up. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I really needed that." "It was my pleasure, Rin", he gently dismisses as his stoic mask sets in place. "Don't tell my friends about this, okay? Better yet, let's just forget this entire thing happened", she nervously chuckles. "Why would I want to do that? This has proved to be a learning experience for myself as well…"

"Yeah, how to stop an emotional wreck of a young teenage drama queen", she laughs. "That is a skill I can certainly hone", Sesshoumaru begins before Rin grabs hold of his still hands and ran into his chest for another embrace. "If this is one of the so called exhibitions, it's a great start… and I wouldn't mind keeping you hostage if it means I occasionally experience a feeling like this", she finishes, shyly smiling while relinquishing her hold on him. Shortly bemused for the extended contact, Sesshoumaru lightly dusts off his pants before opening the door to the roof and waiting for Rin to follow. "There's still time left in class, Ms. Baba will forgive you if you apologize at the end of class. Just remember to stay with your friends at all times", he instructs. "Yes, Mr. Takahashi. For my last class—", Rin begins. "As for your last class, you would find me waiting outside the room since Ms. Baba doesn't need any assistance, and you would be escorted you home", he finishes. Rin smiles before quickly ducking past him and down the stairs.

* * *

The school day went on as normal, with either Sango or Kagome always staying with Rin to protect her away from the harsh words of her locker mate until her final period. However, during the passing month, a lot has changed in the composition of the two main cliques in the story. For one, Miroku usually seems to hang around the trio more, helping whenever he can in the protection of Rin, to gain a certain someone's affection. Moreover, with Kagome secretly tutoring InuYasha in French, he's been slightly improving his grades in class all the while keeping back a suspicious girlfriend with excuses of constant family meetings. Anyhow, the end of the school day arrived and both cliques met up at their usual locations. Sango, Kagome, Miroku, and Rin met at Kagome/Sango's locker while Kagura, Kanna, Naraku, Yura, InuYasha, Kikyo, and Miroku's replacement—Kouga Ookami, met at Kikyo/Rin's locker.

"So Kagome, another session at your place today?", Sango asks while putting away her unneeded materials for the day. "No. He thinks his girlfriend is beginning to truly suspect something much worse in thinking he's sneaking around, so we're going to study at his place so his excuses seem more legit", Kagome replies nonchalantly. "Oh Em Gee, Kagome! I can't believe you're not nervous", Rin jokes, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "Of course she is. It's written all over her face. She's going to see inside the great Takahashi house", Miroku bitterly remarks. "Houshi… I thought we talked about this. He'll know what's he's missing when he can't trust anyone of them as much as he can trust you", Sango idly comforts before closing the locker. "I know… It's just… How can they replace me with the jerk? I mean sure he can give Yura a ride home without anyone else mending their schedules but he's InuYasha's rival in everything since they were preschoolers. I thought I was more important than a chaperone", he dwells.

Kagome sighs before patting Miroku's back in a compromising move to avoid his wondering hands. (Within the passing month, while Rin rested safely at home, Sango &amp; Kagome had the benefit of learning how much wandering his hands can do on their own.) "But yeah, I'm out for hanging out today guys", Kagome announces. "Well then that leaves some much needed hangout time between me and Rin, right Rin?", Sango asks. "Oh, Sango… I was wondering if I were to ask you out on a date, would your answer be the same as the answer to this question?", Miroku cuts in before awkwardly turning away from the group of girls. "But I haven't had a chance to hang out with just Rin and me for a long time…", Sango says in an attempt to make an excuse but her words were cut short at the arrival of the elder Takahashi arriving on scene.

"Good evening, students. This Sesshoumaru trust you are faring well on your studies?", Sesshoumaru interrupts. Miroku turns his attention back to the group to suppress a quick shudder as the girls silently swoon at his tidy appearance. As Rin casts her eyes away in a shameful manner, Sesshoumaru raises an eyebrow before looking over his grey, pin stripe suit in slight amusement. "Yes, Mr. Takahashi, is there something we can help you with?", Kagome greets politely. "Well as Ms. Seiga was sure to inform you unless she forgot our prior engagement, this Sesshoumaru is here to escort her home", Sesshoumaru replies putting out an arm for Rin to take. "I was just getting around to telling them that. Sorry Sango. How about a rain check? Oh! You guys can give me a call on my phone. It was a gift from one of my dad's coworkers", Rin speeds as she grabs her green knapsack.

"Is that so… may I have your number?", Miroku flirts teasingly before earning a glare from everyone in the surrounding area. "I was just asking for you girls, before she rushes out of here", he recovers before Sesshoumaru covers his slightly slipping mask with his stoic face while Rin passes around her number. Once Rin finishes the routine, she grabs hold of Sesshoumaru's right arm as she waves goodbye to her comrades, leaving the three in front of Kagome/Sango's locker. "Okay, Houshi. Since Sango's free, I guess that gives you your date tonight. Have fun!", Kagome shouts before running on home, leaving the blushing couple in front of the school doors.

Continuing down the long blocks in an awkward silence, the two finally breathe a sigh of relief upon finally reaching Sango's house. "So I'll pick you up at 5", Miroku mutters before hopping into his nearby parked car after waiting for Sango to turn the keys to her door. In a state of dumbfoundness, Sango walks into her house just as she hears the screeching tires of the navy blue Audi peel away.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of town, InuYasha was currently being harassed by his girlfriend.

"Come on, Inu… I'm sure you can blow off this one meeting… for me?", Kikyo whines as she begins to play with InuYasha's stray locks. "And are you going to distract my parents when they chastise me again? No—I think not. If you want to fuck Kikyo, please go find yourself a vibrator", InuYasha growls. With that comment, Kikyo lets out an overdramatic gasp before turning away from him with a pout and beginning to whimper. "I—we haven't spent any time together for so long…. Even before the investigation with that Seiga brat, you started to avoid me… Don't you want me anymore Inu", she cries. InuYasha, unable to listen to the sound of his beloved's whimpers, takes her hand and squeezes it lightly before planting a kiss on her cheek. "Babe… you know I love you. I'm sorry if I'm taking out my frustrations with the meetings on you. I just need to vent a bit and since Miro is gone—that's not the point. I'll make it up to you, I swear", he finishes as he turns her head to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

"Promise", she teases as she goes in for another kiss before leaving the car. With that promise, she watches as the red Ferrari speeds away from the gates of her home. And within two seconds, making sure that InuYasha was long gone, Kikyo pulls out her cell phone and begins dialing an all too familiar number. "It's me… let's mend our little agreement with a couple of favors", she begins before the dark chuckle fills the phone. "I need you to spy on InuYasha for me. In return, we can negotiate those terms later", and with a confirming nod, Kikyo says goodbye before hanging up the phone. Turning to enter her home, an evil smirk spreads across her pretty face.

* * *

Meanwhile back across town, Rin sits patiently inside of Sesshoumaru's black Bugatti, staring intensely at her front door. "I said something really awful this morning Sesshoumaru… I don't know if he can forgive me yet", she whispers as he turns off the key to the ignition and rolls up the windows to the car. "Now, what is so unforgiveable that you dread entering your home with your humbled father?", Sesshoumaru asks politely. "We argued this morning… and I said something about my deceased mother… I think I hurt him because he hasn't called the school asking for me the entire day", she feebly mutters. "He is a mature man. This Sesshoumaru finds it hard to believe that words from his daughter can have such a dreadful effect on him—", he begins as Rin shakes her head, ignoring his statement. "No… it's not that… he's a recovering alcoholic and I think what I said may have caused him to backslide into old habits…"

"Interesting, in the research I had done involving Seiga Gaming Industries, nothing has came up about your father's habit…", Sesshoumaru idly explains before stopping the flow of his words at Rin's angry glower. "Therefore, you did research to see if the crazy was hereditary. Maybe you figured I take kindly to hearing your invasive habits because I'm oh so lucky to have someone like you take an interest in my well-being, right?", Rin scoffs as she attempts to exit the vehicle only to come in contact with locked car doors. "Um… why can't I get out?", she snarls. "I have a child lock in placed ever since it was arranged that I would be escorting you around Feudal High's campus. But if you assume this Sesshoumaru is going to permit you to go, you are sadly misguided", he glowers in return. "THIS SESSHOUMARU THIS, THIS SESSHOUMARU THAT… YOU JUST LOVE YOUR NAME…THEN EXPLAIN YOURSELF." "I have you know this Sesshoumaru explains himself to no one, especially an angst driven teenage girl", Sesshoumaru icily retorts.

"Fine. Have it your way…", Rin begins just she belts out a loud screeching scream only to have her mouth immediately covered by one of Sesshoumaru's hands. "The research was done because this Sesshoumaru wanted to unearth more familiar ground of subjects to seize a conversation with you. Nevertheless, every time I caught you before your therapy sessions, even after rehearsing the dialogue in my head and being primed for all your responses, I was constantly rendered near speechless when near you. Moreover, as for the child lock, after your little episode at the hospital and the therapist office, this Sesshoumaru had to prepare in the event you tried to run away from your concerns. You made it all too illustrious that my company was not really prized as much as tolerated. So pardon my intrusive nature but it was all completed for your benefit", Sesshoumaru nearly shouts over her screams, causing her to halt her throaty screeching.

A beat of silence passes between the two as Sesshoumaru removes his hand from Rin's mouth, rubbing away the bite marks she attempted to make in her episode. Taking a deep breath, Rin pushes the frames of her glasses up the bridge of her nose before whispering, "I'm sorry…" "Think naught of it… but it would be this Sesshoumaru's task to help you regain your confidence enough to take conviction in my words. But for now, let's focus on the matter ahead of us—how was this hidden from the company?", he begins.

"That was my grandparents doing. They hid their private affairs and only saw private specialists outside the country. Both being recovering alcoholics, my dad got the habit from them I guess. He took advantage at mixers, holiday soirées, and company gatherings. He was always composed and it seems like he could handle his liquor but when he was home it was a different story. He took it out on my mom and she always hid it so well. But it had ultimately leaded to her death. Although it was ruled as a suicide. He gets abusive when he's drunk and after her death, he went cold turkey for the last decade or so. No one in the company knew the wiser. But there was something in his eyes today… I think he relapsed with the stress he's been under after I was… attacked… maybe pushed him off the deep", Rin explains as she glances wearily at the door again.

"Rin… he will not place a hand on you if this Sesshoumaru has any say in the manner. Let us just hope an external presence would hinder his proceedings", he dismisses as he pockets his keys and exits his side of the Bugatti. "What are you doing?", Rin calls out just as he walks around to open her car door. "Inviting myself to dinner", Sesshoumaru cleverly smirks as he shuts the door and sets the alarm on the car. Following quickly after him, Rin duplicates his grin as she leads the man into her home.

* * *

Meanwhile, way across town, inside of a large Victorian decorated estate styled after Fleur De Lys, two teens, still adequately dressed in their accompanying school uniform, sit at a desk in a large, brightly lit study. InuYasha nods his head in understanding of Kagome's explanation of reflexive pronouns. "So what part of the English language are reflexive pronouns?", he asks before attempting the translation exercise in front of them. "Think of it as the part of speech that refers to self but as an object. Examples are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourselves, etc. Do you understand?", Kagome begins. "And how are we supposed to know the difference between these pronouns and regular pronouns?", he continues. "It's all in the placement. Remember how I taught you about object nouns last week and how objects are referred to? Well these words, are placed in the same way. You can translate straight through but remember to take that misplaced noun and move it around in the sentence until it makes sense", she finishes, pulling out self-made flash cards from her yellow knapsack.

"Let's try these phrases", she instructs. Holding up one card at a time, it was InuYasha's job to read with correct pronunciation and to translate afterward. "Ils ne s'habillent pas. They are they not getting dressed", InuYasha attempts. "Try again. Remember how in English, some things are not said but understood. Good pronunciation though", she coaches. "Ils ne s'habillent pas. They are not getting dressed", InuYasha corrected. "Good, now try this one", Kagome dictates, changing the card. "Nous nous parlons. We are talking to each other?", he asks. "It's not a question but yes that is the answer", Kagome confirms before switching to the final card. "Je t'aime. I… I like you", he stutters out. "Yes, but in France, you know how everyone is sort of big on love. So it can be used to say, 'I love you'", Kagome illustrates.

With that final statement, the two look at each other intensely before returning to their work. After a long moment of silence, Kagome finds the courage to ask, "InuYasha, can I ask you why you won't hire a tutor? Your family definitely has the funds for it." "I don't want Kikyo to find out…", he begins before hearing a soft thud outside the window. Quickly rising up from the desk, he runs to the window to inspect the surroundings, only to find no one there but a few fallen tree leaves. He turns his attention back to Kagome saying, "I want to take her to this French restaurant on our two year anniversary next month. But it would be awkward with a translator there and it seemed silly to be taking a high level French course yet can't order from a simple menu." Kagome closes her book before turning her full attention onto him.

"So why ask me?" "You don't have to help me if you don't want to", he quickly retorts, standing straight up and away from leaning on the dark walls. "No… I don't mind helping. It's just that… all your friends share that class with you and before, I'm sure Miroku would've helped…", she begins. "I can't trust them not to make me feel stupid or lesser then them for asking. To be honest, you are already lesser then me in status so I figure, it wouldn't hurt to ask. You'll get to idolize me from up-close and I get some much needed help from someone I find not too disturbing", he interrupts mindlessly. "Oh… well I'm sorry for you", she finishes before picking up her books and packing them into her bag. "I think you're mistaken. I have nothing to be sorry for", he tries to refute.

Throwing her bag onto her shoulder, Kagome only slightly staggers before replying, "I find it sad that someone so popular can't even rely on the very people who are meant to give them comfort as their closest peers. I always thought that's what friends were. But if that's your friends, I never want to be you and I have no reason to idolize you", she finishes before marching out of the room.

InuYasha stands there in silence as the reality of her words starts to sink into him. He finally snaps out of his reverie when he realizes that she had no definite ride back home. Rushing to the doorway, he runs head on with the girl of the hour in the parlor. "Oh, I think that you should consider asking someone like Kouga for help. He doesn't seem too bad as a friend. And if it's still a no, I'll be willing to help again if you can't find some other lackey to depend on", she says acidly. "Look Kagome, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did. Just let me drive you home at least. There's no more buses to this side of town and I hope you don't intend to walk home by yourself", he insists. "I do not need your pity. And I thought this was supposed to be discreet. You don't even want to be seen with me", she nips back before retching open the front door and walking out of the house.

However, with InuYasha close by and on her heels, she didn't get very far before he came up behind her and picked her and her backpack up before throwing her over his shoulder. Kagome immediately begins kicking and screaming for help but to no avail on such an empty estate. Finally, InuYasha gets to his red Ferrari, and ignoring the gestures of the short impish valet, he throws Kagome into the front passenger seat before locking the doors and climbing into the driver's side. With the keys soon in the ignition, InuYasha speeds out of the private parking lot and onto the highway road.

On the drive towards Kagome's house, the car remains silent as anger and tension arose in the air. Kagome sits with her arms crossed and turned completely away from InuYasha as InuYasha's sits forward, his knuckles turning white from gripping the staring wheel so hard. "So what? You're going to drop me off a few blocks from my house so I can continue without anyone knowing any better. I would've been better off walking home", Kagome chides. "WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND ACCEPT THE RIDE! I'M TRYING TO APOLOGIZE HERE AND YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY. I FUCKING OPEN UP TO YOU AND YOU GO AND BE A BITCH ABOUT IT!", he interrupts. Silence fills the car as Kagome ponders the situation at hand. "Look… I appreciate you opening up to me. I won't tell a soul about it. It's just… do you really have to take advantage of the fact that everyone worships the ground you walk on", Kagome whispers before silently crying her frustration out.

Slowly InuYasha comes to a stop a few blocks away from Kagome's house before parking the car on the sidewalk. "Kagome… I'm sorry… don't cry… I don't know what to do. Just—please…", he mutters, handing her a napkin to wipe her tears. When Kagome didn't move, he takes the napkin and wipes away her tears himself before giving her an awkward brief hug. "Thanks", she finally speaks as InuYasha starts the car again and continues the drive to Kagome's house.

For the rest of the ride, a solemn silence fills the car before InuYasha finally stops in front of Kagome's house. "Look, I'll tutor you for as much as you need as long as you make me a deal", Kagome requests. "How much do you want?", InuYasha asks impatiently. Kagome shakes her head before replying, "Just your friendship. However you like it. We can be secret friends. Personally, I think you need one. But it would mean the world to me as well." InuYasha gives a slight nod before Kagome shrieks in glee before planting a quick kiss on his cheek and running out of the car.

Once he was done making sure that she was secure and in her house, InuYasha ponders about the contact for a moment before continuing on his way back to his estate.

* * *

In a small bush in a lot across the street from the shrine house, a frail, black-haired boy puts away his camcorder before he flips open his cell phone to dial familiar numbers. "Kikyo… you won't believe what I just caught."


	6. Dark Introductions

**Dark Introductions**

Across town, a tall, slender built teenage boy with dark curls braided back in his traditional ponytail crawls into his humbled abode with a look of exhaustion marring his slightly delicate features. With one deep breath, the façade was dropped and his lips curve into a blank smile as he strolls into his darkly furnished room. He takes a seat at his computer desk to log on to his laptop, signing on to his instant messaging program as he kicks away his grey backpack routinely. He smirks as the glare from the computer screen made his pale skin slightly more translucent. He logs on to his alias name: Baboon813. Immediately he receives a pop up message from the screen name Priestess69.

Priestess69 (8:00:36 PM): What took u so long?

Baboon813 (8:00:45 PM): Patience is a virtue, Kikyo. I just got home. Hold on for a moment while I settle down.

Priestess69 (8:01:02 PM): A simple 'brb' would've sufficed Naraku. Just accept my video chat and I'll be waiting.

*Video Session Requested*

*Video Session Received*

Baboon813 (8:15:05 PM): Back.

Priestess69 (8:15:10 PM): Yes I can see that.

"Okay so what did you learn?", Kikyo questions immediately. "You may want to reconsider allowing your precious betrothed to blow you off any further. It seems that not only is he untruthful about his father's summits these passing weeks but he's form another relationship with someone you know all too well", he eloquently puts as he grins in triumph. "QUIT BEATING AROUND THE BUSH AND TELL ME WHO THIS BITCH IS!?" "My, oh my… you look very sexy when you're this angry. But I want my prize first. This extra snooping wasn't easy. He has guards everywhere on his estate and I had to slip in and take out one before getting noticed", he weekly complains.

Kikyo positions her webcam as she furthers herself away from the screen after turning up the microphone. Locking her bedroom door, she glides to the curtains to shut them close before slowly turning back to the screen and beginning the process of removing her sleeping clothes. She raises her thin arm and rips off her oversized t-shirt in one quick movement that leaves Naraku blinking twice. Just as Kikyo was going to rip off her sweat pants in the same manner, she ceases her actions and sits in front of the camera to say, "I'm sorry Naraku, where are my manners? What do you wish to enjoy first? … Naraku… are you paying attention?" Snapping to awareness, Naraku turns his complete attention to the screen in front of him as he smiles lazily.

"Tell you what Kikyo; because this little performance was enticing enough, I'll give you what you want if you up the stakes a little." "What do you have in mind?", Kikyo teases as she leans in front of the screen to expose an extra bit of cleavage while toying with stray hair ends. "Aid me in my plot to bring down the Takahashi Corporation, starting with the heirs. True riches would be your reward and you'll no longer have to be tied down with a complete imbecile at your family's request. I'll illustrate more of the plan to you much later as it is still in the blue print stages but it also involves the help of Kagura and Kanna as well. Maybe Kouga will be of use, seeing his long time hatred for InuYasha stems from the very same competition I have with our parent's competing industries. But before that, you need to regain the ties of his affection despite what I am to tell you", Naraku instructs.

"You seem pretty sure about your little scheme. How can you be sure it will even work? A majority of your plan involves the movements of other parties. Where in the world will you get this much assistance?", Kikyo inquires as she slowly pulls herself away from the camera to put on back her shirt. "Tsk, tsk tsk… my dear lady Kikyo. Have you no faith in my skills? Simply leave all those inquiries to me and do your part. Now do you wish to find out your little tidbit?" "Don't test my patience Naraku, it's bottomless compared to yours but my temper begrudges me", Kikyo concludes. "How poetic. Your suspicions were quite correct. Her name is Kagome Higurashi. She's a junior at Feudal High and her best friends are your current nemesis and your locker mate. But I advise you not to attack your locker mate directly as attention is still drawn to you as the suspect in her rape case. Although I doubt, they'll find anything by now. The silly girl is still delusional about the entire thing and has no memory of my hired attacker. And with that lecher attached to her and telling all our secrets, it's too soon to attack Tajiya. Therefore, the best bet is to take your vengeance out directly. Are you willing to get your hands dirty Kikyo?", Naraku taunts.

"Unlike you Naraku, I actually like to do my own dirty work to witness the devastation first hand. And I'll make sure never to get caught", Kikyo coolly retorts. "My, my, how did my dear Kikyo turn to be so… devious?" "Let's not resort to name calling… I'm simply handling my life with more control than others are. Good night Naraku", she finishes as she shuts off her screen. Looking at a dark camera screen, Naraku leans back in his chair as he begins to contemplate with a dark smirk on his lips. "Silly Kikyo… she has no idea this has been my circus all along", Naraku mutters before leaving the computer screen to prepare for bed. "_Yes… I will be the true victor in the end…_", was his final thought as he lies against his pillow.

* * *

Meanwhile back across town, a casually dressed couple sits in a small-secluded booth in the back of an Italian restaurant, shyly ignoring the gaze of the other as they have a light dinner conversation. The girl wears a light pink, v-neck, 3/4 sleeved, knit top to compliment her tanned skin with dark, low cut, skinny jeans and dark brown, chunky ankle boots as her hair was tied down in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. The boy wears a navy blue polo t-shirt with black jeans and matching Reeboks as his own hair remained in the familiar dragon tail at the base of his neck. The couple talks about their first destination for their date, a bowling arena, as the waitress takes away their plates.

"You know I whooped your ass fair and square. Admit it Houshi", Sango chides teasingly. "It was just a lucky streak tonight. Any other time and place when you're not wearing that marvelous top, I will have my focus and the outcome will be very different", Miroku defends as he attempts to look away from his hands once more to finally catch Sango's deep chocolate eyes. Sango smiles sheepishly but meets the deep blue hues. "Whatever you believe Houshi", she teases relaxing her grin into a smirk.

"Would you ever let your walls down, Sango?", Miroku asks, as he turns his gaze to Sango's fingers dancing around the rim of her glass of water as she makes rings around the top with her index. "I wasn't aware that there were any walls to begin with. I would like to think I'm an open person to begin with. I just don't fall for people's silly actions." "Exactly my point. Unless I'm mistaken, you have such a hard exterior and I doubt you think everyone is that dumb. So I figured there must be a separate reason to why I haven't seen a guy with someone as beautiful as you", he compliments, delicately reaching over to take hold of Sango's hand.

Confused at the sudden movement, Sango takes a moment to herself, suspiciously observing Miroku's facial features and body language before relaxing her glare. "I'll answer that on one condition." "Whatever you want", Miroku smirks. "Don't touch me like this unless I ask you too. It's not that I don't like it. It's just that I like thinking and with you touching me, that's not possible", she blushes. "Then I'll abide by your wishes and… I'll use that to my advantage when the time comes", Miroku jokes as Sango kicks him underneath the table as he pulls away. "I have to be tough, everyone in my life sort of set me up to defend them. It's not as if they ask for it, but they can always count on my temper and my defense. So that behavior sometimes leaks into my attitude towards a lot of people. It hasn't made me worse off than I started and my instincts are usually right about people", Sango explains abstractly.

"I actually understand that… And I'm not saying that just so you'll like me more. But you may want to give people a second look. You may miss some things about them with your attitude acting as the major barrier", Miroku mumbles. Sango sits in silence, contemplating the statement as the waiter comes back with the bill. As Miroku leaves to pay the bill, Sango begins a mental reevaluation of their date. "_What's his game? Is he just saying this to get into my pants? On the other hand,… he can be sincere and want me to open up to him. Come on, this is thee Miroku Houshi we're talking about. He doesn't see further than a girl's… assets… and you're willing to give him a shot. Yes… yes I am_", she mentally concludes. As Miroku comes back to the booth to escort Sango home, she quickly grabs for his hand, ignoring her mind's argument as they walk out to his navy blue Audi.

On the drive back to Sango's place, the ride was quiet as the couple silently overcame Sango's surprising initiation of contact. Finally Miroku arrives in front of Sango's house and parks his car. Before she can even exit the car, he gets out and opens the door for her in a completely chivalrous fashion, escorting her to her doorstep. "So was today's date worthy of your time?", Miroku teases. Sango smirks at his wiggly eyebrow gesture before softly swatting him away. "I actually did… I learned a lot about you Houshi. And I'm sure you learned enough about me that you know what type of girl I am", she mutters as she pauses on her doorstep.

"Sango. We've been hanging out for the past couple of months…and you're one of the first girls I don't mind waiting on… So how about we make it official and you know—go out with each other", he asks patiently. "I'm already going out with you, Houshi. We're out on a date", Sango jokes. "No… Sango. As in be my girlfriend and continue seeing each other." "Oh—that…Well that depends… I'm still pretty much a nobody at Feudal High and I'm not sure I can handle the pressure of being the girlfriend of the Lecherous Houshi. Tonight aside, I haven't really seen you behave like a boyfriend. So, are you serious about us?", she calmly retorts.

"Why wouldn't I be?" "I'm not like every other girl Houshi. I'm not going to fall to your every whim. So if you want to be with me, you have to be completely serious about this. No screwing around with other girls, you know just as well as I do that the hallways talk", Sango confirms as Miroku pulls her body close to his, a light shriek of surprise escaping her lips as she peers up at the boy before her. "As silly as I may seem in most of my actions, my only attention will be towards you. So can I take that as a yes?", he flirts. Sango lightly gulps at the sudden intensity from the proximity of Miroku's body against her own. "Houshi… Just…", she begins before being interrupted by Miroku's finger on her lips. "And if we're seeing each other, please just call me by my first name." "M-Miroku… be careful with my heart", Sango finishes in a whisper as Miroku leans in, softly capturing her lips in his for a delicate kiss.

The soft, chaste kiss immediately leads to another much deeper and longer kiss as both teens become wrapped into their little world. Lost and drifting in their own bliss, Sango finally pulls away slowly to leave Miroku with a lazy grin on his face. "Was that your first?", he teases. Sango lightly hits him in the shoulder before asking, "Was I really that bad?" "No, you were amazing… but shy. With more practice, that should be solved", Miroku begins as he goes to kiss Sango again only to be interrupted by an opening door. A slightly taller, well-built man with a light goatee and Sango's coloring, appears in the doorway of the small, blue house wearing a massive, cotton robe with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of which will be happening at another time. This is a school night", the man instructs with a deadly glare. "Miroku, this is my father, Goshenki Tajiya. Dad, this is my boyfriend Miroku Houshi", Sango introduces. "Houshi… are you related to Mushin Houshi?", Goshenki questions, ignoring Miroku's outstretched hand. "Yes, Mr. Tajiya. My grandfather is the owner of Houshi Luxury Funeral Parlors." "Well, say good night Mr. Houshi because I'm sure my daughter has to get ready for school tomorrow morning. Oh and I'll be expecting you for dinner soon if you want to continue seeing my daughter", Goshenki concludes before closing the door on the couple and heading back to bed. "Well, I guess this is good bye. I'll see you tomorrow morning?", Miroku finishes before finishing his previous action only to have Sango pause his actions. "My dad is probably just watching from the upstairs window now. So if you don't want a tranquilizer dart in your back, you better get going", she laughs. Sango waves goodbye and enters her home. Once inside, she immediately runs to the window and watches as Miroku enters his navy blue Audi and drives away.

* * *

On the same street but down a couple of miles, Sesshoumaru sits at Rin's dining room table reading over lesson plans with the hostess sitting across from him as she completes her homework for the night. Closing the last of her textbooks, she leans back in the chair before removing the ponytails in her hair and letting it flow freely. Her next movement was one of sheer surprise for Sesshoumaru as she proceeds to reach over and gently nudge the stack of papers next to him. Whispering his name, Rin becomes annoyed as he refuses to interact with her. With a devious smile, she nudges the stack of papers harshly, causing them to fall to the floor and lightly cover the carpeted ground. "Rin…", Sesshoumaru growls irritably.

"You should probably head home now. I don't think my dad is coming home anytime soon. So unless you like to eat take-out, you'll best be going…", Rin calmly smiles, ignoring Sesshoumaru's cold glare as he stands to pick up the once organized stack of papers. "And leave a girl like yourself unprotected to external menaces. I would just wait until your father gets home at least. Besides, my duties would not be completed if I did not make sure you consumed a suitable meal for the night. Moreover, take-out is not a suitable selection", Sesshoumaru grumbles before the sound of his stomach growling interrupted the tirade and fills the uncomfortable silence in the run. Taking a pause in his actions in a brief bout of embarrassment, Rin's light laugh fills the air as she stands to help the silver-haired young adult. "Seems like your stomach disagrees with you, so how does Indian sound like to you?", she finishes laughing as she hands Sesshoumaru the last of his papers.

A silent glare was her answer as Rin stands up and readjusts her uniform. "Come on… even the infamous Ice King must have human tendencies. Besides, I do have some standards, it's a good restaurant and their food is more traditional and healthy than unsatisfying and catering to the masses." "Fine, this Sesshoumaru would trust your judgment, Rin…", he dismisses as the sound of keys entering the front door interrupted Rin's actions. Soon, the sounds of Kenshin stumbling in, fills the house as Rin quickly races Sesshoumaru to the entrance of the dining room. "Allow me to access the situation quickly—", Rin begins. "But, Rin—" "Please, Sesshoumaru, my dad would freak if he knew you were here for dinner without any prior announcing. I got this…", Rin dismisses, nudging Sesshoumaru aside as she graciously enters the living room area.

Through the short corridor, Kenshin walks inside, in sloppy attire, with an open bottle of wine in one hand and his briefcase in another. "Rin!", he calls out in a drunken slur. "Good night, dad. See, I came back from school perfectly fine. I had Mr. Takahashi with me the entire day so I was unharmed. He even volunteered to take me to school every morning and—dad you reek, where have you been all day?", Rin babbles, meeting her father halfway en route to the kitchen area as she carefully removes the briefcase from his hand. "I took off for the day… I needed a moment to myself… and—wait, why in the world am I telling you? Hurry up and get dinner ready. I'm still mad about this morning…", Kenshin hiccups as he drunkenly stomps his way past his daughter as he keeps the liquor bottle out of her reach.

Taking a long swig of the open bottle, Kenshin lightly gasps in appreciating of the taste as he changes direction to head up the stairs. "Dad… about that… I'm sorry… But—um… could you sober up for a minute? Mr. Takahashi is here for dinner and we were just about to order some—", she begins as Kenshin swings the nearly empty bottle in his drunken stupor. Unfortunately, Rin doesn't duck in time as the bottle hits her harshly against the temple of her head, causing her to yelp in surprise as Kenshin stumbles back down the stairs. At her sudden outburst, Sesshoumaru immediately rushes to the scene of Rin cradling her forehead with Kenshin frowning disapprovingly.

"Ms. Seiga, are you alright?", he calls out as he catches sight of a reddening bruise underneath Rin's fingertips. "Yeah—it was just an accident, right dad?", Rin sniffles as she attempts to inhale unshed tears. "Was it, Mr. Seiga?", Sesshoumaru questions with disdain. "Who the hell do you think you are? Coming in here and taking care of my daughter—like you can do a better job than me… her father—GET OUT!", Kenshin yells, raising the bottle of wine in a threatening stance. "Dad! That's Mr. Takahashi and you're embarrassing me, right—", Rin screeches. "You dare to raise your voice to me—I'm your father!", Kenshin retorts as the next few moments happen quickly.

Swinging his wine bottle back, Rin stands still in fear and silence, barely cringing in anticipation of his blow as Sesshoumaru steps between the two. Instead of Kenshin striking either, he misses with clumsy accuracy and breaks the bottle against the railing of the stairwell, splashing the remaining contents on Sesshoumaru's suit before tripping over the few steps he climbed. Dropping to his knees, Kenshin begins to sniffle before crawling to his daughter and holding onto her knees. Sesshoumaru begins to move to separate the two but Rin's hand raises up to stop him in his tracks. "Dad…", she quietly whispers, rubbing calming circles into his suited upper back. "Masami… I failed you… I can't even take care of our darling Rin…", Kenshin mumbles in a sleeplike stupor just as he collapses and passes out on the edge of the stairwell.

With Kenshin passed out on the floor, Rin remains temporarily frozen in shock as Sesshoumaru continues moving in silence to pick up Kenshin and hoists him over his shoulder. "Which way is your father's room?", Sesshoumaru asks politely ignoring shattered debris on the steps. Rin nods her head, her thoughts not registering as words, as she snaps out of her reverie and helps Sesshoumaru by removing her father's shoes and leading the duo up the stairs into her father's room at the end of the narrow hallway.

Once in his room, Rin directs Sesshoumaru to the hallway bathroom before locking her father's bedroom door and closing the door behind her as she steps outside the room. Mechanically forcing herself to continue walking, she grabs an extra towel from the hall closet before meeting Sesshoumaru in the bathroom. She quickly puts aside her worries as she sees the messy sight of Sesshoumaru's stained grey, pinstriped suit. "Oh… I'm so sorry Sesshoumaru", she begins as she rushes to clean up settling stains on his jacket. "Rin, do not worry about that. Is your head okay?", he gingerly calls out. Reaching up to touch the bruise she had long forgotten, Rin cringes as she feels the beginning of a swelling bump. "Sit down and let me fix it. Where is your first aid kit?" "Behind the medicine cabinet", Rin mechanically retorts as she takes a seat on top of the closed toilet lid.

Grabbing the small white box, Sesshoumaru quickly opens it to take out an alcohol pad and a medical ice pack. Leaning against the edge of the bathroom sink, he removes his suit jack, handing it to Rin so she can hold and rolls up the sleeves of his black shirt. Ripping open the alcohol pad, he gingerly removes the curly bangs against Rin's forehead before gently swabbing the swelling bruise. Wincing slightly, Rin closes her eyes as she grips small fingers around Sesshoumaru's wrist in a feeble attempt to steer the pain. "Does it hurt too much?", he asks, continuing his tirade. "Just a bit…" Tossing aside the used sheet into the nearby trash receptacle, he squeezes the gel ice pack until a pop was heard, placing it against the bruise, before removing Rin's hand from his wrist to hold onto the cold product on her head.

"Sorry, about tonight. You can go now. I'll lock myself in my room and call you if anything happens", Rin mumbles distantly. "No—Rin, go pack an overnight bag and turn off all electrical devices. You are coming with me. You will stay in one of the guest rooms on the estate for tonight", Sesshoumaru commands, putting away the first aid kit as Rin stares in disbelief. "Honestly, Sesshoumaru…that's not a smart decision—" "Neither was trying to confront a drunk father without help…", he quips, tossing his suit jacket over his shoulder before helping Rin off the toilet cover. "I don't want to be of any trouble and I can just call one of my friends and—" "Are you comrades aware of your father's habit? If that is the case then I invite you to take course in your suggestion but if not, let us not cause needless worry for tonight. Besides, the estate is more accommodating than the homes of your comrades", Sesshoumaru dismisses walking out of the bathroom and half way down the stairwell with Rin trailing behind him.

"Wait—can you just stop and think for a moment? I appreciate the gesture, I honestly do but it doesn't look good if someone was to catch us traveling together at indecent hours outside of school grounds and—" With a short grunt, Sesshoumaru quickly turns around to face the questioning girl, making her statement die on her lips at the proximity he stood in front of her. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much, Rin?" With a modest shake of her head, Rin takes a couple of steps back, putting her at the same height of Sesshoumaru's face. "Then please stop worrying about parameters outside of your control and do as I said", he breathes, causing Rin to merely nod her head before bouncing back up the steps and into her room.

Within minutes, throwing the last of her necessities into an overnight bag, Rin takes out her iPhone and begins calling Kagome. "Hello?", Kagome answers. "Kagome? This is Rin. Hold on for a moment and let me connect Sango". As Rin quickly dials Sango, she clicks back the phone to connect Kagome for a three-way session. "Sango? This is Rin and Kagome", Rin announces. "Hey guys, I just got in from the date **_Kagome_** forced on me and Miroku", Sango quickly complains. "Please hold that conversation for a bit later, I need you guys to do me a huge favor", Rin cuts in. "Rin, are you okay?", Kagome asks with the telltale signs of her moving on her bed, resonating through the phone. "Are you home alone…You can come over for the night Rin. I can get my dad to drive me over to pick you up", Sango starts in a worry frantic.

"No guys, it's under control. I'm staying at Mr. Takahashi's house tonight. He just wants me to call you guys so you can cover for me. He doesn't want me alone with my dad being… MIA. So do I have your guys okay?", Rin asks. "Rin… is there something you need to tell us about what's going on between you and Mr. Takahashi?", Kagome intrudes. "Yeah, because that sounds a little too friendly for someone who is just an escort", Sango chimes in. "It's really nothing. Sure he's been taking care of me since he rescued me… but I swear it's nothing that serious… I may have a slight crush on the guy but I'm mean what girl doesn't, right… It's not like he even thinks of me that way—Look, I'll tell you guys more later", Rin begins before she is interrupted again. "And why can't you tell us now?", Kagome inquires. "I rather be out of this house sooner than later, so later", Rin snorts. "But, Rin…", was all Sango gets in as Rin hangs up her cell phone.

Sighing a breath of relief, Rin nearly jumps out of her skin at the feel of Sesshoumaru tapping her shoulder. "Who were you speaking to?" "I added a little insurance and called my friends to cover for me if anyone asks questions", Rin explains, handing Sesshoumaru the phone he gave her just as Kagome's caller ID popped onto the screen again. "From the sound of the conversation, it does not appears as if you were successful in your efforts", he jests, pocketing the vibrating pink iPhone. "Well my friends would have to get over it, right?", Rin mumbles as she locks her front door behind her.

"A crush, eh?", Sesshoumaru asks once they reach to his car outside. "Are you admitting to eavesdropping, Sesshoumaru?", Rin diverts as she climbs into the vehicle after placing her duffel bag next to Sesshoumaru's briefcase in the trunk. "Never, Rin. But this Sesshoumaru does find the idea entertaining in the least", he smirks slightly before climbing into the driver seat. Buckling up, Rin rolls her eyes as Sesshoumaru follows suit and drive off into the night.


	7. With Malicious Intent

**With Malicious Intent**

Inside of a large Victorian fashioned estate made after the Fleur de Lys, commotion settles down as the two heirs of the Takahashi Empire sit down with their family in the study with a peculiar guest. InuTaisho, his lovely wife Izayoi, and his youngest son, InuYasha, sit across from Sesshoumaru and his guest as they interrogate his recent focus.

"The media will have a field day if they were to find out you were having relations with a minor", InuTaisho criticizes. "Father, you are merely overreacting to the situation at hand. The documented actions that I carry out with Ms. Seiga cannot be misconstrued in intentions. Furthermore, we took extreme caution on our arrival to the estate so that this event is highly discreet. Ms. Seiga has even gone to further lengths and corroborated her story amongst her", Sesshoumaru defends.

"So tell me how discreet you were being driving around town with barely tinted windows and that brat and her nasty head knot in the front seat? That makes perfect sense. Why don't you just admit that you're just a perverted bastard! You turn down scorns of women; and not just any women, _NO_… top models, wealthy heiresses and famous party girls—All of them throwing themselves at your feet. Just to hang with some teeny bopper, ordinary looking—", InuYasha begins to insult before Sesshoumaru grabs hold of his shirt collar in a swift, enraged motion as he hoists his brother in the air. Izayoi swiftly stands and walks over to the boys as InuYasha attempts to reach and strangle Sesshoumaru himself.

Clearing her throat with a sound of guttural annoyance, the brothers halted their actions, posed mid scuffle and turn their attentions to their mother. "Boys, you will conduct yourselves in a proper manner in front of company. InuYasha… there's no need to bring up old bones or disregard your brother's choices. Regardless of how unbelievable you think they are, he's always been unpredictable. And Sesshoumaru, you should know that your brother merely teases. By now, I thought you learn to ignore some of his fool-hearted quips", Izayoi calms the boys as they swiftly let go of the other and return to their posts. "Just because the mongrel prefers to let loose his tongue does not mean this Sesshoumaru will permit him to exhibit insolence towards my guest." InuTaisho merely shakes his head before lending a large, firm hand out to Rin to greet, "Welcome to the Takahashi household Ms. Seiga. I trust you to hold your tongue about what goes on here. Now what do you want from my son?" Sesshoumaru begins underhandedly growling in disapproval at his father's underhanded remark.

Rin simply giggles, causing silence to take over the inhabitants of the study as the family look at her with question. "InuTaisho—", she begins as InuTaisho announces, "its Mr. Takahashi to you, young lady." "Now I see where he gets the arrogance from", Rin quickly mumbles with a pout. This earned further silence in the group as Izayoi tries to suppress a slight smirk at her husband's fluster and Sesshoumaru's masked astonishment. "Can you not exude proper etiquette, young lady?", InuTaisho warns. "As heiress to Seiga Gaming Industries, I'm well aware of rules of proper etiquette. But I was also taught that you respect your host exactly as much as you have been respected", Rin calmly teases. As the tension lightens in the room, InuTaisho gives the young girl, still dressed in her red plaid school uniform a look over as Sesshoumaru becomes statuesque awaiting his reaction.

"I like you, Ms. Seiga. You are very sardonic. Lucky for you, I am fond of people with that quality of humor. So humor you I will… call me InuTaisho. But the question still stands: what interests you about my son?", he dismisses with a smile. "Last I check he was the one stalking me. Yeah, he saved my life once but technically, he's under no obligation to continue checking in on me. The uncanny thing is that as much as I try to run away from him, he always finds a way to get under my skin. Then my running away started to be me calling on him. Therefore, if you have to ask—I don't necessarily find him very intriguing as much as I find him to be one of the few dependable people I have in my life. Don't get me wrong—he's physically appealing, yes. Nevertheless, my interaction with the opposite sex is awkward at best. In the meantime, he made it clear that I won't be left alone as long as he determines my ability to acknowledge my self-worth", Rin explains.

"And what exactly is your worth? What makes you so different from all the other girls out there that our dear Sesshoumaru has made it a mission to keep in contact with someone with your troubling history?", Izayoi calmly questions. "Troubling history?", Rin asks. "Yes. Within a mere couple of months of meeting Sesshoumaru, he has rescued you multiple times. The first was the discovery of your body on the day of your attack. The second was the attempt on your life. Moreover, from his sudden departures from the office, I'm assuming he's been attending your therapy sessions as well—" "Yes but in each instance while I'm thankful for him being there, I never asked him to…", Rin defends, nervously playing with the edges of the sleeves of her uniform sweater.

"Dear… I understand that… I apologize if it seems I'm attacking you. Perhaps I should rephrase my question in a more direct manner. Knowing the infamous disposition of my son, what is it about you that made him change his habits… what special power do you have to warm the frozen prince?" "I'm still battling with the answer to that question. I made him laugh a few times… without really doing much… I guess I just spiked his curiosity", Rin nervously jokes. Sesshoumaru finally moves again, turning hard eyes to the girl beside him and gently covering her hands with one of his to stop her nervous gesture.

InuTaisho and Izayoi catches sight of the act and gives each other a knowing look before turning warm smiles to the pair in front of them. "My, you are quite the charmer; I can see why Sesshoumaru is so taken with you", InuTaisho begins to compliment only to cause the duo to look up and immediately drop the minor contact with the other. "Please don't mind, InuYasha's comments. You are quite adorable, I would love to spend some time alone with you", Izayoi compliments with a soft smile. "Yes… this one is… different. Well, Rin… if you don't mind me calling you that, it takes a lot to earn my Izayoi's approval on the first meeting and with her insight I suppose nothing can come of harm from you. Allow me to show you your guest room. You're welcome to stay as long as needed", InuTaisho stands as he leads the family out of the study with InuYasha's ghastly face and Sesshoumaru's compliant one.

* * *

Later on that night, with the settling of the inhabitants of the large estate, Rin sits in front of the mirror, dressed in a simple, black t-shirt and long green yoga pants, talking on her iPhone to her best friends. "WHAT?!", Kagome and Sango shout simultaneously into the phone. "Guys… I already went under fire during an interrogation from his parents, I don't need this now", Rin complains. "But Rin… he's like …", Sango begins. "I know—but he looks like any other teenager. He's the first guy I ever even thought of in that way. I don't judge your choices on crushes, I expected a little support in mine", Rin comebacks.

"Okay, but Rin, he's a teacher. You're already the envy of hall of the student body—what would you think happen if everyone found out? The Takahashi's are like the most famous people in town", Kagome intrudes. "First of all, he's only a temp. After a couple of months, no one would care. And you're right… hence why it's meant to be a secret. We're careful about how we act when we're in public. Despite what it looks like, he's just really competitive about his objectives. He doesn't even see me that way. It's not like he even admitted to liking me back so it's completely one sided and innocent", she explains to the silence on the phone.

"Well, dammit Rin, now we're in cahoots. Is it really worth it? It's not like you're in love with this guy, are you?", Kagome bashfully questions. "What?! No…", Rin laughs nervously. "Hell has frozen over… time to pack for Armageddon", Sango interrupts jokingly. "Come on… I'm not rushing into anything stupid, okay. I just expected a lot more support from my two best friends", Rin sadly comments as she removes her glasses and set them aside for the night. "You have it Rin, it's just… I'm worried about you…Look, just watch your back. Because I can promise you, there will be a lot of jealous girls out there if this gets out", Kagome teasingly confides. "Yeah, and we'll have your back all the way. Besides you're like our little sister and NO ONE messes with my family", Sango confirms. Rin giggles in delight before muttering, "Just remember to keep this a secret. Not even Miroku can know… but for some reason, I'm sure he'll find out. But I'll leave that to you, San." The girls laugh before saying goodnight and hanging up the lines.

Sitting in front of a lavished vanity with half of her belongings strewed across the countertop, Rin stairs at herself in the large golden mirror before a harsh, rapid knock on her bedroom door pulled her out of her stupor. Swiftly standing, she grabs a spare scrunchi from the countertop and pulls her dark curly mass of hair into a messy bun before walking over to answer the door. "How can I help you InuYasha?" InuYasha walks in past Rin, closing the door behind him as he dims the light in the room. Before she can make noise about his intruding nature, Rin finds her mouth covered with InuYasha pushing her petite body into the nearby wall, completely shadowing her body with his.

"I'm not as naïve as my parents, you dumb cunt. I don't buy that little act you do in the study…", InuYasha acidly whispers against her ears as Rin attempts to thrash against the hold he held on her. However, being that he was Feudal High's star quarterback, Rin was pinned with nearly crushing force as his body locked hers against the wall in a submissive stance. "Don't tell me you're afraid of little old me? Isn't this what you wanted—to get up close and personal with one of the Takahashi boys?", he taunts, ignoring her silent tears. "Why?", Rin chokes out. "Why what?" "Why are you doing this to me?", she whispers as she feels InuYasha beginning to slacken the hold on her.

"I never seen that bastard change his routine for anyone… he barely even blinks an eye for family holidays. Not that it matters much these days—we usually all go away or are busy. Then he meets someone like you. Within frigging days, he already missing corporate meetings with my dad and rearranging his schedules around your daily happenings. If you're just going to use him and toss him aside—you would have me to deal with first…", InuYasha threatens as Rin immediately butts the back of her head against InuYasha's mouth, causing him to drop hold of her entirely as he cradles his bleeding lower lip.

Rin runs away from his reach , grabbing a crystal table lamp from the vanity counter in defense. "WHY DO YOU ALL KEEP ATTACKING ME? I'M NOT A FUCKING SKANK! I NEVER ASKED FOR ANY OF THIS. I NEVER PURSUED SESSHOUMARU IN A ROMANTIC GESTURE. THE ONLY REASON HE'S EVEN IN MY LIFE IS HIS OWN RATIONALE. I'M WELL AWARE OF HOW LUCKY I AM TO HAVE SOME COMPLETE STRANGER OF HIS STATURE TO TAKE INTEREST IN MY LIFE BUT NOT AT THIS COST. IF YOU ALL JUST WANT ME TO GO AWAY—THEN SAY SO. DON'T PUT UP THIS FRONT AS IF I'M THE BAD GUY!", she yells through ragged breathes. Just as InuYasha makes a step towards Rin, she launches the lamp at InuYasha.

Luckily, it misses InuYasha's head by mere inches, hitting the door before shattering into multiple expensive pieces. InuYasha moves to tackle the girl into submission, but before he can make it to the wall across the room, the door opens to reveal a shirtless, angry Sesshoumaru, body slightly damp from the hot shower he was about to indulge in, charging to stand in between the two. "That is enough, InuYasha. Get out of this room and get yourself cleaned up", Sesshoumaru commands walking towards Rin, now cowering against the foot of the bed, covering her eyes. When he senses InuYasha's lingering statuesque presence, he quickly spins around to throw a death glare at his brother. "NOW!"

With those words, InuYasha sulks out of the room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to shake the surrounding walls. Slowly Sesshoumaru turns his attention back to Rin as his gaze softens at her crumpled mass. "I told you… this wouldn't work. You're family hates me and as much as I want to prove them wrong, I can't…", she whimpers, standing upright on shaky feet. "Rin…", Sesshoumaru softly calls out.

"No—please don't… Don't call my name that way… as if you even care. Don't make my hopes rise for things that cannot ever be. I'll make myself scarce after tonight." Walking past the silver haired, shirtless young adult, Rin begins to repack her belongings as she makes a hasty exit. "Rin… try to understand…. My family has witnessed many a girl try to make their way into this household and even fewer at an attempt on my behalf. It was a pressuring security measure albeit the mongrel being the most radical", Sesshoumaru begins.

"No—you try to understand. I'm not like any other girl. I am here because I trusted you… a trust you forced on me. A trust, I'm questioning at this very moment if it means I have to put up with this. Why do I have to be ridicule about my feelings? Why is no one asking about your intentions? Surely, your curiosity towards my disposition must be satiated by now. Yet you stand there and hold all your secrets in while you keep questioning me about mine while I'm being harassed by your family. Well—I'm done here. I'll find my own way… even if you're no longer there", she acidly remarks as she zips up her overnight bag.

"Ms. Seiga, you are not going anywhere tonight. I apologize for the grievances you experienced as my company but you would be foolish to think you will get anywhere further then the estate leaving in your condition", Sesshoumaru counters. Rin ignores his statement, throwing on her red uniform sweater as she shoulders her overnight bag, stepping over the crystal fragments on the carpeted bedroom floor as she attempts to walk out of the door. Sesshoumaru, anticipating her departure, stands in her path, grabbing her hand and pulling her body into his embrace in a tight hug as her very frame begins to shudder. "Rin… do not force me to beseech you", he whispers harshly against the top of her head. "What more do you want me to do?", Rin solemnly replies, wiping the residue of her tears against his bare chest.

"Do nothing…", he mutters under his breath before yanking the bag from her fingertips while clasping her other hand in his, proceeding to march down the hall before dropping her bag off in another guest room. Before she can complain about his adamant actions, Rin is dragged even further down the hall towards another locked door. "Sesshoumaru, where the hell are you taking me?" Instead of responding to her question, Sesshoumaru pulls Rin against the door and kisses her senseless. At first, Rin stands stark still, shock at his brazened act, but as his lips shyly melded into hers and his hands gently caressed the sweater covering her arms, her own body starts to react and kiss him in return.

A few moments later, Sesshoumaru steps back, completely composed, silently watch Rin's face for a reaction as she nonchalantly lifts a finger to touch her lips. "Why did you do that?", she mumbles quietly, turning away blushing cheeks from the man before her. Raising his hand, Sesshoumaru carefully grips her chin with his forefinger, gently turning her reddening face and brown eyes to look up at him. "You were right. I do unfairly question you about your disposition and hardly share anything on my own character. For the past couple of weeks, I have been questioning my motives. However, it was not until earlier this evening, upon your revelation of your affections towards my person that I became enticed with the curiosity of an impractical pursuit with you", he explains, gently rubbing away remaining residual tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"I don't know what to say… this is overwhelming ", Rin nervously giggles through a tear-stained voice. "Say nothing. Just stay… and feel…" Sesshoumaru pulls her back into his embrace, delicately holding her before escorting her back up the corridor to the guest room with her belongings. With a light mutter of goodnight, Sesshoumaru closes the door behind Rin's new sleeping arrangements while he arranges the maids to clean the mess the following morning.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of a softly lit room, the queen bee of Feudal High lays down on her bed, completely exhausted and spent from her recent three-hour aerobic workout she does nightly to keep her hourglass, s-curved body in shape. Removing the yoga pants she wore, she peers up at the overhead mirror above her bed, posing erotically in her red sports bra and matching triangular thong.

With the flick of her wrist, she grabs her iPhone and begins snapping photos while posed suggestively. Moments later, taking a pause in her antics to mildly edit her pictures, she forwards her photos to a selected group of contacts labeled pawns. Her final act was posting the least revealing pictures to her Instagram page with a few selected artistic alterations, before hoping into the adjoining bathroom in her room for a quick shower.

In the midst of her stripping out of her sweaty garments, a text comes into her phone from her betrothed boyfriend just the same time a video chat request comes in on her widescreen Mac from her secret lover. Accepting the video request, she quickly silences the lover on screen with a glare as she calls her betrothed back.

"Hey, Inu baby… How was that meeting this evening…? Yeah—I know you miss me. Hey, I decided to send you a few treats since we hardly ever see each other anymore… Yes, I know it's not as good as the real thing… Uh, huh… promises… promises… Inu baby, you can have me any which way you want you know that… Is that so? Well—I do love the things you do with your tongue…" Removing her underwear, she sits in the reclining chair in front of the video monitor of her widescreen Mac, sensitively touching her thighs before languidly lifting one leg onto the desktop. "Inu…don't tease me… please…I get wet just thinking about the last time we had sex…", she pants seductively rubbing her hands against her inner thigh while posed in front of her webcam.

Slowly inserting a finger into her already wet and waiting channels, she moans into the phone as a look of pure ecstasy overcomes her and causes her body to lay spread eagle in front of the webcam. "You sure you can't get over here immediately…. Mmm… Fine…Your loss… Inu baby—I'm not feeling well… I'll talk to you later", she groans upon hanging the phone up and finishing herself off.

A slow clap interrupted her silent bliss as she finally lower her legs to sit in a more discreet position. "How did you like that for a show—Hakudoshi?" On the wide screen, a translucently pale teenage boy with white hair and equally pale grey eyes combined with a slightly bulky muscular build smiles an eerie dazzling smile back at the girl in question. "That was amazing Ms. Miko. I can see why Mr. Hihi finds you so indulging. As for Mr. Takahashi—he is a fool to let someone of your caliber go to waste… Perhaps I can alleviate that itch between your lovely milky thighs after I complete the mission", Hakudoshi requests in a nonchalant tone.

"We'll see Hakudoshi—don't fuck up this one. I'm proud of your work, that little brat is still mentally scarred… even if it was the wrong target. Just let me know ahead of time if Naraku is requesting of your services—okay. This one is a bit smarter and may be a bit harder to take down. Try to make this one quiet and I'll promise you much more…", Kikyo promises before ending the chat session.

On the other side of the screen, the white haired teenage boy eases his eerie smile into a blank expression as equally pale hands clasps his shoulders. "Now you make sure to continue informing me on every move Miko makes outside of my consent and I'll make sure little Kanna stays safe from harm and unaware of your challenges of paying your stay at this institution… Do we have an understanding, Hakudoshi?", Naraku beams, gently squeezing the boy's shoulders. "Yes Mr. Hihi. May, I return to my room? Check in is approaching and I wished not to be locked in the box again", Hakudoshi dismisses, walking away from the other teen.

* * *

Morning soon comes and with the crack of dawn, Rin awakes with a start at a pair of almond shaped, purple irises staring intently at her. Short of gasping in shock, Rin grabs for her glasses on the nearby nightstand only to remember that it was left in the destruction of the other guest room. The person in front of Rin places a warm hand against Rin's balled up fists and a familiar voice answers, "Sit up, sweetheart. I know you can't really see all too well. It's me, Izayoi", she speaks, helping Rin sit up straight in the king sized bedding. Placing the thin spectacles carefully against Rin's face, Rin was pleasantly greeted with a warm smile of Izayoi Takahashi, half dressed in a slimming gray pencil skirt, her makeup delicately touched, and her long dark hair blown out in loose curls. A short silk kimono covers her chest as she subconsciously plays with the string of pearls on her neck.

"Good morning, dear. I wanted to apologize for the antics of my boys last night. I'm not in the habit of making excuses but they mean well; especially, InuYasha. I mean at the moment what he did may seem heinous, but you were able to defend yourself pretty well if I do say so myself. Okay… that sounds horrible, but I was never exceptional with words. How about I make it up to you, with a special breakfast in bed session where you can tell me more about yourself", Izayoi nervously chuckles. Rin couldn't help but laugh at Izayoi's obvious tension. After a moment, Izayoi joins in with Rin's laughter as both ladies sooth their discomfort to a lull. "I'm assuming you already have breakfast waiting for us outside that door?", Rin politely asks.

"You're right about that. And from what Sesshoumaru has informed the cooks, you like sweets just as much as I do." Rin's eyes almost danced in glee when the one of the mansion's wait staff enters her room with a tray of cinnamon French toast decorated with strawberries dusted with powder sugar and chocolate syrup. On the side was a pitcher of freshly peeled and diced apple chunks in lemonade. A separate tray remained covered and over a low fire burner. "I'm guessing you two haven't ate dinner together as of yet. He wasn't quite sure of what types of protein enriched meat items you liked. I think that if you share my love of sweets, you would love what I have simmering under the mystery tray", Izayoi preludes before signaling her staff to lift the lid. Under the lid was maple and honey cured bacon and sausage links.

Immediately Rin's stomach growled at the smell of the food filling up the room. "Thank you, dear. That would be all. Send our regards to Mrs. Cookes and call someone to draw open these curtains", Izayoi commands. "Yes, Mrs. Takahashi", the wait staff dismisses as he leaves behind the cart and exits the room swiftly. Rin's stomach growls again, as Izayoi and her quickly set up their trays. "I can't remember the last time I had food this good!", Rin squeals as Izayoi merely nods before taking a massive forkful of her toast. After a few moments, both ladies cleared their plates in record time and finished half of the pitcher of lemonade. An awkward silence fills the room as neither really knew how to begin a conversation with the other, resulting in side-glances and polite smiles.

"So… Is this your bit?", Rin mumbles, looking away and at her fingertips. "Excuse me, dear?", Izayoi coughs nonchalantly. "Having a rendezvous with whomever your sons' are interested in? You know… talk in the guise of some girl time in order to scoop out more information on these girls as they let their guards down…", Rin explains, subconsciously trying to smooth out the mess of her dark curls. Izayoi gives Rin a look, nodding her head at the girl's antics. "Sesshoumaru also warned me about your straight cut disposition. But to answer your question, it is in some sense but not for the purpose you think", Izayoi begins to explain. "I never pegged Sesshoumaru as someone who is so… talkative… love to hear his own voice, yes. But he doesn't strike me as someone to share unless he deems you worthy", Rin laughs, ceasing her nervous antics with her hands.

"That's amazing that in the couple of months that you have known my son, you're able to define him so well… He's a very observant character. And I take it, so are you. Again, you're right. He never mentioned outright these characteristics about you. However, lately, he's been more spontaneous in his actions, and now that I even know that you exist, it all makes sense. It's a welcome change. I know you may find this hard to believe, but Sesshoumaru has never dated anyone. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that made him naïve or faults him for not looking at all the girls we tried to introduce to him but it fascinates me that a young girl like you made him step out of character. I guess I never thought I'll be around to see the day when I'll sit and have this conversation with a girl here on his behalf… And I'm glad it's you", Izayoi finishes, placing a delicate hand on top of Rin's own hands in a comforting gesture.

"I don't know what to say to that. I may be young but I'm ready and willing to learn. Call me silly… but I was afraid that since Takahashi Corporations has a relationship with Miko Cosmetics… that you would like girls of that caliber for someone like Sesshoumaru. I'm nothing like her. My family is upper middle class at best, and although I went through the entire training to be a lady, I'm no debutante like Kikyo", Rin begins before being interrupted by Izayoi scoffing at the mere mention of the girl's name. "Trust me, dear. Being a debutante is nothing special. It's just an excuse for rich people to find something to make other people insecure. I was never a debutante myself. And as for not being like Miss Miko, count that as a plus on your character", Izayoi whispers, laughing with Rin as both let go of their unsaid anxieties.

The sound of a beeping alarm on her wristwatch, caused the laughter to die down as Izayoi checks the time. "I'm sorry, dear but we must end this short little conversation. I have the day ahead of me. Perhaps we can continue this conversation during dinner. That is if you wish to stay another night?", Izayoi asks. "If Sesshoumaru would have me…" "It's not up to him… but if he insists on questioning the idea—inform him it was my suggestion. So see you tonight", Izayoi beams as she straightens her composure and moves their trays onto the food cart and places it by the bedroom door. "Will do, Mrs. Takahashi", Rin calls out. Izayoi stops her tracks as she turns her attention to the girl still in bed. "Oh dear, Mrs. Takahashi is what my employees call me. Call me Izayoi. Alternatively, Izzy for short. Okay, Rin?" "Yes, Izayoi", Rin giggles before climbing out of bed to close her door behind Izayoi's exit.

* * *

The morning drones on as Rin finally gets up and completes her morning routine in due time. Just as she was about to head out to meet Sesshoumaru at the parlor downstairs, she opens the bedroom door to come face to face with her previous attacker of the night.

"Oh please tell me this isn't another test?", Rin immediately groans. "Get over yourself. I just came to apologize for last night. You passed the test anyway. I don't know when or how but both my mom and dad are also hypnotized by you. At this point, it would be too much energy to be the only one in the house to hate you. So instead, let's pretend we're on school grounds and I'm going to walk around here as if you don't exist—got it? Don't think that just because you're friends with Kagome, that I'll give you any special treatment while we're at school—if Kagome can deal with the circumstances I'm sure you can", InuYasha broods. "As if I want to be part of your pitiful excuse for friends. Besides, last I check, the meaning of a private relationship means that no one else knows… so unless you missed the memo", Rin scoffs as she turns her back on a frowning InuYasha to close the door to guest room behind her.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You think you can come into my house and talk to me any which way?", InuYasha seethes, slamming a palm against the wall next to Rin's head in an intimidating move. Rin slightly jumps out of her skin from the sheer force of the wall slightly vibrating when a darker shadow appears behind the two of them. Looking past InuYasha, Rin breathes a sigh of relief as Sesshoumaru stands ready, dressed in a navy blue suit, silver mane braided into a low ponytail against the base of his neck. "If I were you and you were smart, I would think twice before using your hands anywhere off the football field, or near Ms. Seiga, you mongrel", Sesshoumaru breathes down InuYasha's neck as the teen boy backs away from Rin. "I wouldn't dream of it. Maybe I'll catch a few more z's. Kikyo is sick today", InuYasha dismisses as he walks back up the corridor to the stair entrance to his own private quarters.

"Doesn't class start in an hour?", Rin casually asks, watching the silver haired teen's retreating figure. "Rin, are you alright?", Sesshoumaru asks, looking her over. "Psh. Yeah. If you had stayed back another minute, I would've had him on the floor. Don't worry, Sesshy. I can handle a jerk like that", she jokes, taking her green backpack from his hands. "Rin… that name…", Sesshoumaru begins to grit his teeth. "Come on, if we hurry, I can still find time to thank the cook for this morning's breakfast", Rin beams, skipping down the hall while modestly playing with her braided pigtails. Sesshoumaru lightly shakes his head in amusement at her childish antics before following after Rin with his briefcase in hand.

* * *

The couple soon exits the large Victorian styled estate through the underground parking lot in Sesshoumaru's Bugatti. The drive to Feudal High was relatively quiet, a mass of unspoken questions from the rapid change of events that took place just the evening before. Finally, driving into the teacher's reserved parking lot, Sesshoumaru notices Rin's habit of nervously playing with the edges of her uniform sweater, as they got closer to school grounds. "Rin, Ms. Miko will not be in today, so this Sesshoumaru would have thought you would be more at ease", he questions, glancing over at the girl in question as she increases her fever. "Since this is a private affair, what do we say about our relationship status if other people ask?", Rin rapidly asks. Her answer was a mere raised eyebrow as Sesshoumaru parks in his spot and turns off the engine. "Not to say you would have someone approach you, I mean—it's not like you're not hot—I mean, not like I have a long line of guys waiting to speak to me—or that I'm even looking. Not to say…", Rin begins to rant only to be cut off by a quick and chaste kiss to stop her from picking the edges of her sweater.

"If anyone asks, I would respond as this Sesshoumaru normally would. And as for you, as daring and as challenging you can be, I can only hope you have the decency to divert the question altogether if someone else was to be made aware of your worth", he swiftly mumbles, grabbing hold of his briefcase from the backseat as he exits the driver side of the vehicle. After a heartbeat, Rin follows suit, smiling lightly to herself as she whispers, "Thanks, Sesshy", and rushes off to the monitored entrance of the school building.

On the way to class, Rin rushes to her locker but surprisingly bumps into the one person she did not expect to see for the day. Kikyo quickly scans the nearly desolate hallways before hiding behind their opened locker and leaning down to whisper in Rin's ear, "I don't know what type of game, you and your friends are playing but they better stay out of the kitchen if they don't want to get burned. You see Seiga, you will tell no one that you saw me because if you do… You think life has been hell for you, you don't even know the meaning of the word torture…" Remaining completely still, Rin waits for Kikyo to stealthily move down the hall; watching her throw on a baseball cap and glasses before exiting the school's side door.

Not wishing to waste the few moments of alone time she had before Sesshoumaru was to escort her to class, she quickly lugs her backpack and race down the hall and past Kagome/Sango's locker. In her haste, Rin gets sidetrack as she runs straight into InuYasha. "Watch where you're going, dweeb", he growls. "InuYasha?", she whispers just loud enough to get his attention. Not wanting to show the few surrounding people that he acknowledges her, InuYasha continues walking a few steps before bending down to tie his sneakers. "What?!", he harshly replies. "You sure, Kikyo is in bed today?", Rin begins mumbling as she pretends to pause and readjust her backpack. "Not that it's any of your business but I just got off the phone with her and she's sick as a dog. Now get lost", he spits, quickly standing up and heading to his own locker. "Well then I hope she doesn't have a secret twin, because that threat just ruined my day", Rin wearily mumbles before walking past InuYasha and to the main office to meet up with Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Moments later, the bell rings, signaling the start of first period as Sango takes her usual seat in her homeroom class. Rin enters shortly after, breathing a sigh of relief as she catches sight of Sango sitting in their row. But her heart skips a beat as she takes note of Kagome's unusual absence from their row. "Good morning, Ms. Seiga. I trust you have your emotions in order today", Ms. Baba greets Rin. Rin sheepishly smiles before rushing to have a seat next to Sango, bypassing a drowsy InuYasha to get to her desk. "Hey have you heard from Kagome, this morning?", Rin whispers to Sango. "Yeah. She was going to come in early to get some extra materials from the library for the douche bag's study session today. I told her to just wake me up so we can go together but she insisted I was a super hassle to get up early anyway. She was supposed to have that kid Hojo meet her before school since he needed materials as well", Sango runs down. Staring intently at the door, Rin's worries increased as she saw the student Sango spoke about bypass the class, peering in momentarily for someone.

"Sango… I think Kagome is in trouble", Rin whispers anxiously. "What do you mean? What's going on?", Sango whispers back only to have Ms. Baba shush the girls before returning to her attendance. Giving each other a look, Rin pulls out her pink iPhone from her sweater and texts Sesshoumaru who sat next to Ms. Baba organizing piles of test results from the previous quizzes. Silencing her phone, she watches as Sango and Miroku gave each other a knowing look and was surprised at the lack of hostility. The pockets of Sesshoumaru's pants start to vibrate as he briefly excuses himself from his task. Pulling out his PDA, he looks at the sender before raising an eyebrow. "_What in the world would possess her to send me a message during class? This Sesshoumaru had not figure her to be overt affectionate type_", he mentally questions. Upon opening the text, Sesshoumaru momentarily stills as he quickly rereads the contents. "_**I saw Miko this morning. She said something that had me thinking. Now Kagome is missing**_" Quickly snapping shut his phone, Sesshoumaru looks up as Ms. Baba asks him to escort Mr. Houshi to the restroom. Eyeing each other, Miroku quickly followed Sesshoumaru out of the classroom and down the hall to begin the search.

* * *

Kouga Ookami was dismissed early from his typical morning class. Wearing fitted, black slacks, a white untucked shirt under an open black blazer, he runs his fingers through the dark brown locks on his head, tied up in a loose topknot. A simple diamond stud, black sneakers, and a crystal watch finished off his look and made him look studly with his ice blue eyes and light tan complexion. Walking to his third floor locker in Feudal High, he ignores the frantic footsteps of the only other person on the floor, figuring them to be someone rushing to hide from the new hall monitors.

Shaking his head in amusement, he unexpectedly bumps into his biggest nuisance, a sophomore girl named Ayame Urufu. "Oh, hi Kouga. Didn't see you there", she blushes as she twirls the ends of one of her two ponytails. Ayame wears a knee-length skirt with a big red sweater and white knee-highs. Simple black, buckled shoes completed the look as she didn't wear much for accessories except for tiny green studs that matched her emerald eyes. The entire look reminded Kouga of a geeky schoolgirl but the red in the uniform made her pale skin and bright red locks look ethereal.

"Yeah, later Ayame", Kouga dismisses as he attempts to bypass the girl who not only slightly creeped him out but held an undeniable crush on him no matter how many times he turned her down. "Uh, Kouga wait! I have a request for you and I was hoping you hear me out", Ayame shouts just as Kouga manages to get to the end of the hall. Seething in anger from the embarrassment of having her follow him and distort his new status image, he marches back to Ayame asking, "And who are you to request anything of me?" "Come on Kouga… be nice. Outside this school, we are arranged to be even if you deny it and seeing how I kept it secret all along, all I want is for you to be nicer to me", she grovels at the feel of his angry gaze on her.

"I'll see, Ayame. If you manage to not be a bother to me for at least one week… then I take your request into consideration. That means if you ever see that I'm busy with something else or someone else, you'll leave me alone. Do I make myself clear?", he taunts, dusting off the edge of his black uniform pants. "But you didn't seem very busy right now", Ayame inquires as she watches the boy in front of her tighten his dark brown locks in his ponytail. "And that's where you're mistaken. I was trying to get my materials for the next class and maybe cut in a little bit of studying. But now, because of this encounter, I'm not able to do that. And class starts in 10 minutes. Thanks a lot, Ayame", he mutters as he walks away without one look back. Leaving Ayame to hold her head in shame, she continues on in the opposite way of Kouga. "_Don't worry Kouga, one day you'll be mine and I'll make this up to you_", she mentally comforts herself.

* * *

Kagome wakens in a delirious state as she tries to gather herself together. "Hello… where am I?", she groans as she struggles to sit up. Her eyes flutter open as she starts to feel the restraints on her arms and legs within the darkness. "Oh hello there. I'm glad you're finally awake. The effects of the drugs should wear away in a matter of seconds", a voice speaks in the darks space as the resonating sound of a gun clicking fills the air. Taking a shallow breath so as not to panic, Kagome eyes finally snaps open to a dimly lit room with the only light being a small flashlight hanging from a string, above her head. "Who are you?", she gulps as a pale hand creeps out of the darkness to grab the flashlight from the makeshift harness. With the full impact of the light in her eyes, Kagome quickly shuts them tight to fight the immediate glare. "My… wait till my boss finds out. You have a great similarity in features with Kikyo. Oh, by the way. She has a message for you. But I'll tell you when I'm done with you", the voice teases.

"Do what? What do you want from me?", Kagome whimpers as the light was pulled away from her eyes again and back into the string harness. "I never ask why I'm hired, I just do the job. Besides the instructions for this assignment says I can do whatever I want with you. Now… open up wide", the voice coaches. "First… untie me. I'll do whatever you want if you just untie my hands", she pleads. "Do you think I'm that stupid? There's more than one way to get you to take this narcotic", the voice taunts as Kagome begins to thrash in fear. "BE STILL OR YOU"LL DIE", the voice shouts in the darkness as the sound of the gun clicking sounds in the air again, this time the barrel of the gun was pressed against Kagome's forehead as she halts her every movement. Within a matter of moments, a prick was felt in Kagome's arm as a substance was pumped into her skin.

Once the needle was removed, the effects of the serum acts quickly as Kagome starts to cough violently with her body attempting to get rid of the intruding chemical. "It'll all be over in a matter of seconds…", the voice whispers in the darkness as a blade cuts open the restraints on her arms. Taking hold of the moment, Kagome grabs hold of the nearest thing but was surprised to feel silk like strands in her hand as she continues to trash and pull. Finally, the strands fell off from its source as the voice screams in agony from the pain. Using the same blade, the person takes the weapon and plunges it into Kagome's left leg. Kagome shrieks in bloody horror as her struggling cease. By then distant footsteps were heard approaching.

The last words of the voice fill the air just before Kagome blacks out. "You're not what I planned for. Speak about this and I swear I would come find you and finish the job. Kikyo will see to that. There was something else I'm supposed to… Oh and by the way, stay away from InuYasha, or next it'll be the very last person you'll be seen whoring around with", the voice taunts as Kagome shudders at the sound of glass breaking before fully allowing her world to drift into darkness.

* * *

Keeping her eyes closed, Kagome awakens again to the sounds of a beeping EKG monitor, whimpering, and a throbbing sensation coursing throughout her entire body. Slowly she opens her eyes to become bombarded with the immediate hugs from her best friends, along with her surprisingly composed mother. "Kagome please tell them it wasn't him!", Rin seethes. "What are you talking about Rin?", Kagome groggily asks. "I got the school security to search the building after creating a ruckus with a series of hall monitors and they found you stabbed, bleeding and with white strands of hair in your hand. Immediately they grabbed Rin and started questioning her when they found evidence the attacker was male. I mean that hair color isn't common and yeah… Rin sort of freaked when they brought up Sesshoumaru. So they have him and InuYasha in custody. They were waiting outside to question you when you wake up but Mrs. H convinced them to let you rest a bit", Sango quickly explains.

Rin lets out an exasperated sigh as she leans into Sango's shoulder for comfort. "It just can't be—I mean, we were together every minute this morning. There wouldn't have been any time. He helped in the search… the detective said you weren't bleeding for long… so he doesn't have the time…", Rin rambles. "It wasn't Sesshoumaru… it wasn't InuYasha… it wasn't anyone I would know or could think of knowing… I remember not being able to see anything else is a blur", Kagome whispers. Her mother grabs hold of her hand as she tries to comfort her anxious daughter. "Then who else could have done this Kagome? You had silver hair in your hands… only three famous people in town have that unique hair color…. do you remember anything?", Kaori goads slightly. "About that—mom…That voice… it's very peculiar…It can't be anyone from the school. There is someone to blame… but I can't put my finger on who", Kagome slowly answers.

"Sounds like whatever was in that needle still has her loopy, Mrs. H", Sango begrudgingly whispers. "Well, I'm just lucky that something worse didn't happen to my baby", Kaori soothes, smoothing the hair against Kagome's head. "Mom, could you go tell the detectives I'm ready to talk", Kagome whispers. "Not in this condition, sweetie. I don't think your thoughts are with you right now. I'm still disappointed in seeing that Takahashi boy you've been tutoring head to the station like that", Kaori, groans in embarrassment. Sango and Rin give each other a look before letting go of the breath they've been holding at the sight of Kagome smiling sheepishly in embarrassment. "You knew?", Sango and Rin simultaneously asks. "You girls pretty much wear your heart on your sleeves. It's not hard to see that the guy my daughter doesn't want in the house is someone she's crushing on", Kaori smiles. "Sorry, Mrs. H. He sort of has an image to maintain", Rin explains.

"Well, lucky their family is rich and their lawyers would have them out soon. But that image is going to be slightly tarnished for a while. Even if you know they're innocent, I don't know if they can forgive what you did to their reputation, honey", Kaori rationalizes. "Well how about after this thing is cleared up and Kagome becomes more stable, you can invite him over for an apology dinner", Rin spazzes, earning an elbow to her side from Sango, with a blank smile to Kaori. "That actually sounds like an idea. I'll be right back. You girls watch over Kagome while I make a run to the doctor really quick", Kaori dismisses herself from the room, leaving the three teens to talk.

A breath of relief passes between them as they temporarily stopped trying to hold their tongue. "Okay, Kagome spill", Sango coaches. "What is really going on?", Rin follows. "You know what the scariest part is—that the only thing I definitely remember is the warning… Something about staying away from InuYasha… But I can't figure out why, and I don't want to get InuYasha in trouble for even mentioning his name", Kagome groans. "But what if that is a big lead in for who's doing this?", Sango asks protectively. "It's not like we can give the detectives everything we know. Then they'll start questioning too many things and I don't want that now. I'll go and inform the police later if it's dire but first I want to talk to InuYasha", Kagome requests. "Okay, whatever you need Gome", Rin weekly smiles. Just as she was getting up to exit the room, an unexpected visitor opens the hospital door as silence fills the room.


	8. Dangerous Liasons

**Dangerous Liaisons**

Inside of a closed off interrogation room surrounded by a media storm of local and international news outlets, two brothers sit across from each other, handcuff to the plush seats they sat in, glowering angrily at the other since the detectives left the room moments before.

"Tell me you didn't do this", InuYasha threatens. "Humor me, will you InuYasha? Besides, why would I go out of my way to frighten the girl? Your tutor, am I correct?", Sesshoumaru briefs. "I don't know. You come into the school, my territory and already you have a girlfriend who's like 12. Maybe you're an undercover pedophile", InuYasha teases in a low menacing whisper. "You should mind your tongue you ungrateful mongrel… Moreover, for the record, she is 16—the same age of your tutor… and apparently one of her closest comrades. This Sesshoumaru would be uncouth to fathom doing something that can jeopardize any relations", Sesshoumaru seethes. The two brothers continue to sit facing each other, neither exchanging further words on the issue as the minutes ticked on.

Finally, a private investigator enters the room. Detective Totosai Toushou and family lawyer Myouga Nomi greet the Takahashi brothers along with InuTaisho. "Okay boys, you're in the clear. Neither of your DNA matches the evidence we collected from Ms. Higurashi. The hair strands were a dye job", Detective Toushou announces. "Can we go to the hospital to see if Kagome is okay?", InuYasha impatiently asks as the handcuffs were removed from his hands. "And what exactly is your relationship with the victim InuYasha?", Detective Toushou questions. "Any of the Takahashi men will refrain from answering any questions while they are no longer suspects to the case", Mr. Nomi dismisses as he escorts the Takahashis out of the interrogation room.

In the hallway of the precinct, InuTaisho leads his sons out as they thank Mr. Nomi. "Never knew being such a flea would actually be beneficial in the world of justice", InuYasha teases. "You do best to hold your tongue Lord InuYasha…", Mr. Nomi begins before InuYasha periodically says, "Don't call me Lord". "Anywho, do heed my advice or you'll have bigger problems than paparazzi making scandals of your lifestyles", Mr. Nomi finishes. InuYasha waves off the small statured lawyer as he follows his father and Sesshoumaru into the family limousine escort. Driving the limousine was the impish-like valet of the Takahashi Estate named Jaken Hiki. Short, with toad-like facial features of a wide set, thin mouth and a pronounced eyebrow ridge, the man stands slightly bent with a mild hump in his back, dressed in a traditional monkey suit.

"Lord InuTaisho and sons, where do you desire on going this afternoon?", Mr. Hiki asks once all passengers were seated in the limo. "Take the boys to the hospital where the victims are residing and then continue on the mansion. I have a few last minute preparations to conduct after clearing up the bad press', InuTaisho instructs as the impish valet nods his head in confirmation before taking the appropriate highway routes. "When I find out who did this to Kagome, there's going to be hell to pay", InuYasha vaguely threatens. "And here this Sesshoumaru thought you desire to have no public connections with Ms. Higurashi. Or is there something you fail to tell us about the development in the relationship between you and the charitable tutor?", Sesshoumaru lightly chides. "Kiss my ass, bastard. I don't have anything going on with Kagome. I just figure it would be wrong if I didn't show my face. Besides, I think someone's targeting her and her friends lately and I'll be damned if they come near Kikyo", InuYasha defends.

"Only an idiot like you would continue to go out with that girl. Perhaps, looks are enough to appease your interest since you clearly lack the intellect", Sesshoumaru begins before earning a clearing of the throat from InuTaisho. "It would be wise if InuYasha clears up further suspicion by publicizing some sort of camaraderie with the victims. That goes for you as well so have that Seiga girl come over for dinner tonight", InuTaisho drills. "Yeah, who's brainless now? Besides Kikyo's not that bad. At least I'm able to say how I feel about her without getting the third degree", InuYasha snidely murmurs.

"Ms. Seiga knows exactly where we stand in our relationship and can acknowledge the sincerity in my affection for her. With that being said, despite her minor episode about this Sesshoumaru being a potential suspect, I believe she handled herself quite well. I challenge your betrothed to react in a composed manner. I sooner see Ms. Miko drag down the family's name and honor", Sesshoumaru icily comments. "I dear you to say that in front of Rin. Let her know the real, calculated bastard you can be", InuYasha begins taunting again as Sesshoumaru raises a fist. "BOYS! You will behave and conduct yourselves in an appropriate manner or risk the consequences", InuTaisho threatens as both of his sons scoot away from the other, sitting as far as possible from each other in the widely spaced limousine.

As the two boys sit in silence, Sesshoumaru finally pulls out his PDA to text Rin of his upcoming arrival while InuYasha idly plays with his iPad. "_Don't worry, Kagome. No one would ever be able to hurt you like that again_", he mentally vows as the drive continues.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Rin stands in the doorway, in front of the surprising visitor with a quizzical expression on her face matching that of Sango. "Who is it?", Kagome squeaks out, not being able to see the person in the doorway past her two friends. "Kouga Ookami, right?", Rin asks politely while holding out her hand and assessing the appearance of the taller teen in front of her. Kouga raises an eyebrow at the gesture before shrugging away Rin's handshake to turn his attention to the patient. Stepping past her and into the room, Kouga's eyes soften at the sight of Kagome, hair tied at the base of her neck, her leg gauzed and bandage under a soft thigh cast. Rin looks at her hand, trying to see if there was something wrong with it before dropping it by her side. "Kagome, I heard what happen. Well, it is all over the school by now so I just stop by to check up on you… and I even brought flowers and a teddy", he slyly announces. Kagome shyly smiles as she mutters, "Uh… thanks Kouga. You can hand them to Sango and she'll put them away". "I was wondering if I can have a moment to speak with you alone Kagome", Kouga politely asks.

Rin, not caring for the stranger in the room, calls out, "I'll just be out here, keeping Miroku out of trouble until Sesshoumaru gets here to escort me home". With Rin gone, silence fills the hospital room again as Sango leans in to whisper, "You sure you want to be alone with him right now?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. You go and check on Miroku, I'll call if I need a body guard", Kagome lightly jokes in whisper as Sango smiles before turning to Kouga. Getting up, she places the gifts on a nearby hospital table before exiting the room, taking a moment to stand in front of Kouga to give him a look over. "The nerve of some people", Sango rudely comments as Kagome tries to smother her laughter at Kouga's confused expression.

With Sango also gone from the room, Kouga approaches Kagome's hospital bed, pulling up a seat to one side of the bed before taking her hand. "Well, are you okay after what happened?", he begins. "Kouga, why don't you intrigue me and tell me what is the story around school about what happened?" "Some perp, definitely from out of town snuck into school and attempted to attack another female student. When word got out that it was you, people started to accuse Kikyo and her pose again, which included me. Naraku, Kanna, Kagura and Yura's whereabouts were accounted for, and Kikyo wasn't even in school. So it just left me and dog breath. But when they announced that you had evidence containing silver hair strands, man was I happy that the stupid Takahashi brothers were taken into custody", Kouga gloats.

"Kouga!", Kagome scolds in shock. "What?! I'm just saying those arrogant assholes got what they deserved. They walk around as if they're untouchable and they are the top suspects", he explains. "Even so, InuYasha is your friend and I know without a doubt it wasn't either of them who did this to me", she defends. Kouga scoffs before retorting, "Dog breath and I are far from friends, but I'll respect your wishes. We can stop talking about them if you promise me a date…" Kagome begins to blush before quickly muttering, "Kouga… it's nice to know that you care about me and all… but…" Looking up, Kagome finds herself staring into the ice blue eyes of the boy in front of her. She takes a moment to look over his slight muscular build underneath his tailored black uniform, completing the sight with a diamond stud earring in his left ear to contrast the long brunette high ponytail he wore sportily.

"But what, Kagome?", Kouga asks. Suddenly the door to the hospital room opens and in bursts InuYasha in fury as he shouts, "BUT, IT'LL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE SHE'LL LET THAT HAPPEN!" Kouga and Kagome move away from each other as InuYasha intrudes and plants himself in the space between the two. "InuYasha!", Kagome scoffs. "Wolf boy should find himself an exit now because there ain't no way you're going to even grant him the time of day!", InuYasha shouts. "AND WHY THE HELL NOT?", Kagome loudly shouts back. "YOU CAN CONSIDER YOURSELF STUPID IF YOU DO… he's not good enough for you!", InuYasha retorts. "AND WHO ARE YOU TO DETERMINE WHO KAGOME CAN AND CAN'T GO OUT WITH?!", Kouga intrudes.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO I AM, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT WITH HER!", InuYasha seethes. "AS IF SHE'S GOING TO LISTEN TO DOG BRAIN!", Kouga rudely comments. "KEEP AT IT KOUGA, I'M SURE YOU CAN MAKE ALL THOSE FIELD GOALS WITH NO ONE TO PLAY WITH" "STOP IT!", Kagome interjects. Both boys look at the girl in question as silence fills the room with a growing audience crowding the hospital door. Sango pushes through the crowd with Rin close behind, holding a few bags of take-out Chinese food.

As Rin preps the dinner to be eaten by the trio, Sango turns back to the crowd, giving them a stern look before everyone disappears, save for Miroku and Sesshoumaru. Miroku smiles lightly before closing the door behind Sesshoumaru to allow the inhabitants to some privacy. "Mrs. H would be back, she's talking with the doctors", Rin informs the silence in the room. "Thanks, Rin. Sorry for the ruckus Mr. Takahashi… Thanks for stopping by", Kagome greets the elder, silver haired young adult in the room. "It was my pleasure Ms. Higurashi. Ms. Seiga has informed this Sesshoumaru well so I can appear at your discretion", Sesshoumaru waves off. "It's nice that you guys care about my welfare and all but I can make my own decisions without being called stupid or irrational from strangers. So unless you have something else to say, you all can leave", Kagome speaks up. Kouga moves away from InuYasha , to take hold of Kagome's hand before saying, "Just consider my offer, Kagome. I'll see you at school."

With Kouga out of the room, Kagome turns to InuYasha, frowning at his behavior. "Not that I don't appreciate you visiting but why are you here?", Kagome asks the silver haired teen. "I thought I'll give this friend thing a try and visit you while you're here. But since I'm not wanted…", InuYasha teasingly begins as he moves away from Kagome to the door. "No! InuYasha, come back!", Kagome laughs, reaching out a hand for his. InuYasha turns around with a big smile on his face, taking the previous seat Kouga held by Kagome. "I'm more than glad you're here even though rumors are going to fly. But I thought you were still in custody", Kagome inquires. "The evidence collected was not a match for this Sesshoumaru or the mongrel", Sesshoumaru explains.

"Neither did she believed it would be, right Gome?", Rin chirps. "Of course, Rin. Whoever kidnapped me sounded more of a sociopath than Sesshoumaru… no offense", Kagome meekly replies. "None, taken. But Ms. Seiga had brought it to my attention that there was something you wish to talk about with the mongrel, concerning your attack", Sesshoumaru dismisses as all eyes turn to InuYasha. "I don't mean to pry but does Kikyo have something against me?", Kagome asks while shying away from InuYasha's intense gaze. "That's insane, Kagome. Kikyo doesn't have any… okay, she may dislike a few people but it's only if they wronged her in some way. Why you—t here's no way Kikyo can be involved in something this wrong?!", InuYasha jumps to his girlfriend's defense.

"Then why will Kagome's attacker leave a message for her from Kikyo, telling her to stay away… from you", Sango jumps in. "I don't know. Maybe to cause suspicion since she's still a suspect in what happened to Rin…It's all a lie… there's no way that—I-I g-g-gotta go", InuYasha stammers as he tries to leave the room. Before exiting the hospital room, Miroku stands in InuYasha's path as the two boys stare intensely at each other. "Wake up, man. You're blind love for this girl has you making irrational choices about what's right", Miroku tries to advise his old friend.

"Why don't you just watch your own back and stop worrying about mine… especially when off field", InuYasha dismisses as he pushes Miroku aside to leave the room altogether. Closing the door after the departure of the silver haired teen, Rin turns back to a solemn Kagome, holding her hand in comfort. "Don't be upset, Kagome. That pig head would come to his senses that his trophy is nothing more than a wooden block of insolence", Rin soothes. "For his sake, I sure hope so, Rin. I really hope so", Kagome mutters.

* * *

InuYasha races down the highway, towards the familiar mansion styled after the Silicon Valley Chateau. Hoping out of his red Ferrari, he walks up to the video intercom and punches in the number for Kikyo's room. "Hey Inu baby, I wasn't expecting you to drop by so early", Kikyo's voice speaks over the intercom. "Kikyo—we need to talk", InuYasha callously announces. "Okay… come on in. I have something to talk to you about as well", she replies, imitating his tone.

It doesn't take long, as InuYasha storms up the pathway leading into the mansion and enters without a second look from the house staff. Catching sight of Kikyo standing at the entrance of an elaborate staircase, he follows her into her father's private study as he tries to disregard her lack of apparel as she only wears a large black t-shirt, silhouetting her hour glass like body and very short cut off shorts dressing long white legs with her hair mused and lying in a messy bun against her head. Turning off all the cameras in the room, Kikyo turns her attention to InuYasha, throwing open her arms in a hugging position only to be met with a steel gaze from the other teenager in the room.

"Tell me what's going on", InuYasha seethes. "Going on with what?", she recovers by feigning a stretching position with her arms. "What is going on between you and those girls? And don't lie to me right now because frankly, Kikyo, after the day I had, I don't want to hear it. Just out with the truth… and I'm talking about Kagome and her friends so you can cut the dumb act", InuYasha demands as he watches Kikyo's disapproved face become less irritated and more poignant.

"You have some gall. You come into my home; knowing I've been sick in bed all day, offer me no flowers or even the hint of some token of love that shows you want me to get better. Then you have some ridiculous notion that I have taken a grudge against some loser brat and her friends. Sure, ever since she joined my archery team and making a name for herself on my turf, she's been a nuisance but coupled with that bitch that Miroku's with and her tiny weirdo raped friend; I didn't even want to be bothered with them. However, it's funny that you bring her up because now that I think of it, you haven't been making fun of her little group and now I barely see you at all between Cheerleading practice, Archery Club, Football Practice and you dodging every moment to hang out with me. So why don't you owe up to the truth, InuYasha. Because rumor has it that you were not only meeting up with some other slut after school but that she's someone we both know…", Kikyo speeds through, seething in anger as she tries to keep her tears at bay. InuYasha stares at the girl before him only to start chuckling and ending with a full out laugh as she fixes angry eyes at him. "Kikyo… you don't understand…", he begins.

"No. Fuck you. You don't understand InuYasha. You laugh at me after trying to attack me with absurd accusations no doubt from this same girl. And to think I actually shed tears and fought for your release… even lied a little so they can free you from holding… and this is the thanks I get", she continues as her angers build with InuYasha stifling his laughter. InuYasha walks up to his girlfriend and pulls her into a comforting hug as she remains frozen as a statue, not reacting to his advances whatsoever.

"Babe… every time I turn around and think there's something wrong with us, you turn around and remind me how much you love me. Look, I'm sorry I haven't been around as much but you have no reason to be jealous of Kagome. Truth is, Kagome and me are just friends. I didn't want you to find out like this but I'm taking French lessons from her so I won't sound like a complete fool on our anniversary next month, when I take you to a Parisian restaurant", he explains as he watches the statue melt and return his embrace.

"Inu… you know I'm fickle sometimes. But I feel better knowing you had no interest in seriously involving yourself with lowlifes like her and her friends", Kikyo chimes before kissing his jaw again, constantly avoiding their lips from contact. "Kikyo… about that… you know I'm all about our image. However, being nicer to her friends couldn't hurt. I mean, Kagome is going out of her way as well to teach an idiot like me. The least we can do is show them some congeniality as my dad works on the public relations. Maybe, you can get them to do your homework as well if you were a little nicer to them. And… well don't tell anyone, but the bastard has a thing for your locker mate, so save yourself from cruel and unusual punishment by avoiding torturing her for your amusement. At least you can still hate the last one, uh… Sango, I think", he lightly requests. "Oh, no… they've gotten to you, too. They're supposed to worship us. You're the captain of our football team and I'm head cheerleader, losers like them expect a life like this", she pouts. "Kikyo… just give them a chance, you won't regret it", InuYasha pleads. Kikyo sighs before nodding her head in agreement.

Content with the turn of events, InuYasha traps Kikyo into a chaste kiss, making Kikyo become slowly lost to his touches as their kiss soon turns into something more. "Why don't we continue this in your room?", he sensually whispers. Kikyo immediately pulls away from InuYasha while muttering, "But my room is a complete mess right now". InuYasha immediately lifts up Kikyo, cradling her in his arms bridal style as he replies, "Come on, you seen my room on more than one occasion and it has to be a biohazard on some days, compared to yours". "But I don't want my father seeing us going to my room… especially when I'm still dressed like this", she explains as InuYasha puts her back down. "Let the old fart see, he knows we've been fucking by now", InuYasha pants, feeling up the smooth skin of her legs. "Inu…" "You know, if I wasn't any wiser—I'm starting to think you're making excuses for whatever is hiding in your room. What is it you don't want me to see, Kikyo?", he teases as Kikyo quickly covers the surprise in her face.

"I was in the middle of making your anniversary gift… it's a surprise so don't ask me what it is yet. But you need to skedaddle out of here so I can have any progress of finishing it by next month", she covers before pushing InuYasha out of the room and into the direction of the mansion's front exit. "Then, I'll leave you to it. Don't worry Kikyo, I'll make it up to you, you'll see. But for now, just know that Kagome and me are just friends. Just like you are with Kouga and Naraku", he explains before exiting the mansion after giving her a goodbye kiss.

Kikyo waits five minutes until InuYasha is out of sight and in his car before turning on the cameras in the private study and in her bedroom. Running back to her room, she knocks lightly before entering to find a completely dressed Naraku in his school uniform standing against her bedroom door in a narrow corner, away from the view of the camera, in its known blind spot. "You got rid of him?", the pale, dark haired boy asks upon greeting Kikyo in her room. "Yeah, he fell for it, hook line and sinker. And you should completely check your facts before having me attack that poor girl, she's only tutoring him", Kikyo scoffs before walking to her bed and stripping out of Naraku's t-shirt and back into her actual night gown, a long, white, floral babydoll top underneath a sheer black duster. "It doesn't bother you at all that he picked a girl that resembles you so much and is beginning to befriend her?", he taunts.

"Should there be a reason it would bother me? She has nothing on me…", Kikyo mutters as she begins stroking a brush through her hair. "Not yet… but didn't you and InuYasha start out as friends", Naraku taunts while fixing his tie and slicking back his dark mass of curls. "I know what you're trying to do and it won't work Naraku. He's not that kind of guy. He hasn't fallen for Kagura, Yura, or Kanna, so I have nothing to fear. And they are all so much hotter than those dorks combined", Kikyo defends. "But none of them look like you… the girl who he has a soft spot in his heart for", Naraku mocks as he walks the edge of the room, away from the camera before climbing out of the window and down the pipeline, leaving Kikyo with his taunting words. "_This girl can't be competition against me… can she?_", she ponders in anger before putting down the brush and checking out her body in the mirror. "_Not even remotely close…_", Kikyo mentally concludes as she heads into her bedroom shower.

* * *

The following evening, with the doctor's clearing most of the narcotics out of her system; Kagome is discharged from the hospital and heading home in a personal limousine sent on behalf of the Takahashi family. What Kaori and her daughter didn't expect was the sight of InuYasha, still dressed in his school uniform, waiting outside of their house with a welcome basket. Briefly thanking the driver, Kaori helps her daughter into crutches and out of the vehicle before her youngest child, Souta, comes bounding down the front steps to the house at the arrival of his mother and sister. Grabbing hold of the small collection of gifts and bouquets, Souta breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of his sister laughing and talking sense again.

"Hey, mom. The Takahashi guy wanted to speak to Kagome but I made him wait outside until you got home. It serves him right, it's his fault my sister is like this", Souta frowns looking over the new thigh cast Kagome sported underneath the knee length skirt she now dons. "Souta… it wasn't—", Kagome begins only to be cut off by a surprisingly protective younger brother. "No—I don't want to hear it, Kagome. That guy has been here every other day getting your help. You even risked being caught by Jiji when you had him over a few times mom was out. Then he goes around and acts as if he doesn't know you. The way I see it, he owes you a lot now that you got hurt because of his girlfriend…", Souta seethes. "Hey twerp!", Kagome randomly calls out to her kid brother. Turning his attention to her, he winced at the feel of her pinching his fair cheeks and ruffling his short raven hair with her free hand. "You're so cute when you worry. But don't bother… I'm not going to be able to tutor him much until I get this stupid thing off. And since he owes me a favor, I'll make sure he's helping me out when it comes to moving about the halls", she explains.

Souta didn't like it but at the sight of his sister safe and happy, the young middle school senior had nothing more to say on the issue as he follows after his sister and his mother and up the front steps of their home. Upon reaching the entrance, InuYasha hands Kaori the welcome basket as he cast his golden eyes downward in shame. "Mrs. Higurashi, I know I should be the last person to ask this… but I was hoping that you would find it in your heart to allow Kagome to continue tutoring me after she gets better. During the meantime, myself and other friends would be helping her throughout school so that you won't have to worry…", InuYasha humbly greets. "InuYasha… you really don't have to… and what about—", Kagome begins before being cut off by her mother. "How about you start with staying for dinner?", Kaori speaks, opening the house door to her elderly father-in-law, Jiji Higurashi sweeping the floors of the house.

Jiji Higurashi was the last surviving relative of Kaori's deceased husband, Kagome and Souta's father, Natsuki. Having come from a lineage of monks and priestess, at his son's untimely death, he moved his daughter-in-law and grandchildren into what has became their family home for the past decade. Their home doubled as a tourist site for the sacred wells and tree located on their land. Therefore, during the days and on the weekends, the house turned into a concierge as people from all over visit, pray and make wishes. 80 year old, Jiji Higurashi stood just a little under 5'9", with long white hair he wore in a topknot despite his receding hairline. He was slightly on the round side with his portly belly poking out in his comfortable house robes. Putting away the straw broom, he dusts off his hands to greet his family return to their home. "Kaori! Where is my Kagome? Is she okay?", he begins before cooling his voice at the sight of the silver haired teen.

"InuTaisho?", he asks. "That's my father. I'm InuYasha. InuYasha Takahashi", InuYasha greets, offering a hand to the old man. Jiji grabs hold of the teen's slightly roughed hands and surprises the boy by pulling him closer so that their faces were mere inches from each other. "Don't tell me… you look an awful lot like one of the girls I used to have work here alongside my son, Izayoi was her name", Jiji notes letting go of InuYasha's hand and backing away from the boy to allow him to explain. "Yeah, they're my parents. What's it to you, old man?", InuYasha grunts. "InuYasha—", Kagome begins to scold only to have her grandfather chuckle at the boy's antics. "Your father used to talk to me the same way. What a small world? Who knew that he actually grew up and made something of himself… a business and a family to boot", Jiji smiles. "Yeah… I wasn't aware that you knew my family", InuYasha begins, regaining his composure.

"I'll tell you more about it later. Go get washed up and ready for dinner. I'm assuming Kaori, invited you because my dear Kagome is just too modest…", Jiji starts as Kagome groans at the embarrassing reference. "Kagome, why don't you show InuYasha where the washroom is while your brother and I set up", Kaori shouts out over her shoulder as she has Souta follow her into the dining room and put away Kagome's gifts. "After you", InuYasha cautiously instructs. "Well, it's not like you would get lost here. It's not as big as your house but there's one just up the stairs and to your right, the first door there", Kagome leads, trying to get her crutches up the stairs. After two tries, she was surprised by the sudden increase in support she had against her right arm. "You know, you could have asked for some help. Ms. I'm not ashamed to ask anything from my true friends", InuYasha lightly jests as he secures the weight of Kagome's right side by placing his arm around her waist as she hops up the steps.

Once at the foot of the stairs, Kagome tries to pull her arm away from InuYasha's hold only to have his grip tighten against her waist. "Where are you trying to go?" "InuYasha, its fine. My room is just at the end of the hall. I'll call for your help when I need to go downstairs again", she dismisses. "I meant what I said yesterday, Kagome. I really wouldn't mind calling you a friend… you know, in public. It's the least I can do after everything you did for me", InuYasha mutters, letting go of the girl in question as she balances herself on her crutch. "Yeah but after what I said in the hospital—" "About that… I had a talk with Kikyo. She has nothing to do with it. But she's willing to try to be your friend as well… and the secret is out of the bag about you tutoring me… so", InuYasha nervously scratches his head as he waits for Kagome to answer. "Okay, InuYasha. Let's try it. We can start with little steps and we can go from there… but one day at a time, okay?", she agrees before heading into her room. Closing the door behind her, Kagome waits until she hears the telltale signs of InuYasha entering the restroom before squealing with joy.

* * *

Three weeks have gone by with another change in Feudal High. With the general scare about the intruder raising safety precautions within the school, all students were not to leave between classroom periods without a teacher escort, and during the changing of periods, the security guards will patrol the hallways for the first and last ten minutes of the periods. Kikyo spends more time with InuYasha since Kagome was on mandatory bed rest so no extracurriculars. With that being said, under much discretion, Kenshin Seiga checked into a rehab center again while he attempts to get a handle on his alcohol addiction. Thus leaves Rin going back and forth between Takahashi estate, Kagome's house, and Sango's humbled abode with Kenshin, unaware of the intensity of the relationship with his daughter, leaving Sesshoumaru as her guardian. Miroku, with nothing much to take up his free time, continues to date Sango whenever the two were free, becoming a permanent staple amongst the trio with his disregards for the popular clique despite their efforts to try to be cordial to the group.

Finally, it was high time for Kagome to remove her cast. Lucky for her, the wound didn't damage any major arteries and left a thin scar on her long thin legs but while she was required to take physical therapy for the next couple of months, she was back in action. So on a cool, fall morning in November, Kagome returns from her physical therapy session and meets up with her comrades outside of the cafeteria discussing their upcoming club performances and midterms.

"I'm sort of regretting taking the new art class. 3D design is fun but Mr. Takahashi can be a super dick head when it comes to being a perfectionist. Where are the points in personal style and creativity? Sure, all my pieces look a tad cartoonish and even animated but if he doesn't let up, I'm going to weld the next project to his big, mean face", Rin frowns, causing the usual, now quartet with the addition of Miroku, to laugh at her animated gestures. "Come on, Rin. It can be that bad. I don't hear you singing any angry songs during choir practice", Kagome laughs. "Eh, by the time practice starts, I had already forgotten the issue", Rin blushes. "I surprised you even joined considering your shy disposition you displayed for the last year you have been in Feudal High", Miroku remarks. "Yeah, but you don't get a chance to hear her when she's in the ladies locker room. Who knew someone so little can have such a large voice", Sango teases.

"I'm not that small. That other sophomore, Ayame Urufu, she's—", Rin begins arguing. "Still taller than you and closer to Sango's height anyhow…", Kagome laughs. "Psh—everything looks small when you're like a skinny, 6 foot…", Sango rolls her eyes. "For your information, I'm only 5'8" and not that much shorter than Houshi. Besides, a certain someone doesn't have a problem with Rin's height", Kagome winks. "Who I still haven't had the pleasure of meeting… I mean, who is this mystery dude, taking up Rin's personal time every other night…", Miroku ponders as the trio of girls snicker alongside. "Either way, you should be happy you don't have to take a frigging dance class with Feudal High's resident lecher…", Sango pouts. "Don't be like that, mi amour. While I haven't had the pleasure of having you as a serious dance partner as of yet, at least I get to touch you during our martial arts club", Miroku flirts.

"Ha! I knew there was a reason you kept volunteering to be our demonstrator. You just invited yourself into a world of pain, Houshi. And next week I'll make sure to pair you up with that big guy", Sango taunts. "But Sango… I can't get too hurt. I also have football practice and as Feudal High's star receiver", he mockingly pouts. "Then you should have thought of that before joining another club just because your girlfriend is in it…", Kagome laughs. Her laughter was cut short when she stumbles into the group of Feudal High's socially elite, InuYasha and his clique of popular kids. "Higurashi", Kikyo greets, twirling the ends of her long, voluminous blanket of hair. "Miko… I take it you're ready for the upcoming Regional Field Competition…", Kagome politely replies.

"As a matter of fact, Higurashi, it's a shame you won't be joining us. It would have been a sure win if an unknown challenger like you made a way onto the scene. Give the opponents a shocking defeat. But luckily, your participation isn't required", Kikyo comments. "Yeah, I'll see you for the next tournament though", Kagome harshly smiles. "Well if it isn't Houshi. How's it feel to be knocked off your undeserved throne", Kouga taunts. "It's only a matter of time Ookami. Keep my seat warm, because eventually you'll have to leave Feudal High… Besides, Takahashi would realize his lost soon enough", Miroku seethes. Turning his attention away from the jealous underclassmen, Kouga smiles warmly at Kagome as she tries to ease her nervous gesture of rubbing her arms. "Well if it isn't the beauteous Kagome Higurashi. I'm sorry you associate yourself with this bunch of losers", Kouga flirts.

"Ew… you're in definite need of an eye exam if you believe she's even remotely pretty", Yura teases. "Or you can cut out your jealous snide remarks and simply admit that she does past for presentable in the normal realms of beauty", Kagura oddly chimes in. "Yes. It's only a matter of how she dresses herself and she can be an exact replica of Kikyo", Kanna meekly adds. Kikyo rolls her eyes before muttering, "I'm not even on the same level as this wannabe. So I believe not". Kagome clears her throat, ignoring the criticism from the girls while attempting not to squirm under their gaze. "While I appreciate the compliment Kouga, disrespecting my friends won't put you in a better light when it comes to me", she comments before walking away with her group of friends. "And she'll rather be friends with a bunch of losers than have superficial friends like all of you", Sango shouts back as the two groups part from each other.

Moments after the encounter, Kikyo's group disbands as the bell strikes signaling the end of the lunch period. Kouga, lingering behind to catch up with Kagome, waits until her friends leave her at her locker before approaching her. However, before he can reach Kagome, the biggest nuisance to his existence appears next to her, causing him to detour as he cleverly hides behind the corner, listening in on their conversation.

"Hey Ayame, what's up?", Kagome asks as she continues to put away her schoolbooks and replace with the necessary items for her next class. Ayame, twirling the ends of her red ponytails, stops abruptly to straighten the edges of her red school skirt. "Nothing much. Um… what's the deal between you and Kouga?", Ayame hostilely replies. "Kouga is just an acquaintance who has been gunning for my attention since I met him during his sophomore year", Kagome retorts nonchalantly.

"Well, he's mine. I don't know what you heard and I don't care what he says to you but you better remember that", Ayame threatens. "You're not the first girl to tell me that but do me a favor and keep him, it's not like I want him to keep asking me out. You can have him if you want, just make him leave me alone", Kagome teases, causing Ayame to smile at her kindhearted nature. "That's good to know. I apologize if I offended you. Unlike other girls Kouga chooses to wander towards, you generally seem to have a brain. Well, later", Ayame dismisses as she leaves Kagome alone to finish getting ready for class.

Closing her locker, Kagome nearly shrieks in fright at the sight of Kouga suddenly appearing behind her locker door. "I heard what you said back there, Kagome. And to think, you would go out of your way not to hurt the feelings of a girl who obviously sees you as an opponent… but don't worry, only you have my heart", Kouga gloats before Kagome dismisses him with a polite nod and continues on to her class. "Whatever you want to hear Kouga… but I meant what I said", she murmurs as the tardy bell rings, causing her to move in a quickened pace to her class, leaving Kouga alone in the hallway.

With a few passing moments, the hallways emptied and Kouga turns around to come face to face with InuYasha. "I mean it Kouga. Stay away from Kagome", InuYasha seethes. "Or what, dog breath?", Kouga taunts. "Or you will find yourself six feet under playing with coyotes, you mangy wolf", InuYasha glares back. "Is that a threat?" Just then, a hall monitor rounds the corner, causing InuYasha and Kouga to part ways as they ditch the possibility of being written up for detention.


	9. Rumors & Warnings

**Rumors &amp; Warnings**

The week goes by and it's a beautiful chilled December morning for Feudal High School students. During this week however, was the start of testing for the students and a series of competitions for our starlets. With Kagome down and unable to hike over harsh terrains for field archery, Kikyo continues to take charge of Feudal High's Archery Club. Kouga, Miroku, and InuYasha were the star runner-back, wide receiver, and quarterback respectively for Feudal High's prime football team, the TaiYoukai Warriors and prepping for the big playoff game to gain state championship title.

Being in head positions within Feudal High's cheerleading team, Kagura, Kanna, and Yura drilled routines into the remaining student body of girls with Kikyo's temporary absence. Naraku, Miroku, and Sango begin prepping for their martial arts tournaments. The only ones that had a slack in their extracurricular activities were Kagome and Rin since Feudal High's Show Choir group were taking a break until midterms were over and Champion Madness takes over. Champion Madness was a week where the winning teams for whatever sporting event would make ridiculous and illicit request from the participants of Feudal High's Show Choir group.

With that being said, it was another mundane day for the star characters of this saga with each respective clique agreeing to meet up with the other after their social gatherings. Sesshoumaru dismisses the last of 3D design class, keeping him, Rin, Kanna, and Kagura to clean up the art room. Currently Kanna and Kagura were out of the room, rinsing away the hardening clay from their hands and clothes, leaving Rin and Sesshoumaru in the room alone. Suit jacket placed on the back of his chair and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, Sesshoumaru rinses off his hands in the classroom sink.

Rin stands against the windowsill, shutting the last of the vertical blinds within the class room with a bit of difficulty. "Ms. Seiga, are you certain the task is not too difficult?", Sesshoumaru lightly tsks as he looks away from the load of clay blocks he was attempting to move back into storage room. "I already told you that I'm not afraid of heights, and seeing as you're not tall enough to reach the top of the blinds and too heavy to stand on these stools, I'm the best there is for this", she gloats as she begins to point her feet in her black round top shoes in order to see over the top of the shutters, trying to figure out what was wrong. Finally pushing aside the clay blocks into their appropriate destination, Sesshoumaru turns back to the teacher's desk at the head of the room, just in time to see Rin tilt the stool in a dangerous leaning stance.

Rin falls down to the ground; only bruising the side of her cheek against the window ledge, as Sesshoumaru leaps over the teacher's desk in time to save her from a harsher landing. Setting her down to floor, he pulls her into his lap, cradling her body in child-like manner, as he inspects the bruising on her cheek. "Don't say it…", she seethes as she takes a sharp intake of breath when his thumbs smoothes the formation of the bruise. "Oh, what is this about the mysterious force name gravity?", he teases before lightly kissing the bruised cheek. Rin couldn't help but smile, wincing as the contours of her cheekbones rising, pains her against her bruise.

Taking the iniative, Sesshoumaru continues his trail of kisses, across her bruised cheek to the opposing blushing one and down her collarbone as Rin attempts to hold back her squeals from the overwhelming ticklish yet seducing sensations. Finally, Sesshoumaru takes a moment to inhale the scent of her skin before placing a dark hickie against her neck. Moments after marking her, Sesshoumaru pulls away from her neck at the feel of her fingers raking across his back, only to be pulled into crushing lip contact as Rin throws herself into him; forcing him to lean back on his elbows, avoiding touching her on the uncomfortable spots against her back with her body silhouetting his.

Sesshoumaru lightly breaks contact at sound of clicking heels approaching the room. "Mr. Takahashi?", Kanna meekly calls out. "Are you still here?", Kagura chimes in. With a finger against her lips to shush her, he helps her off him as she crawls completely under the teacher's desk without another word while he poses himself to be cleaning something on the floor. Silence encompasses the room as Kagura makes a whining sound. "So they leave two girls here, with a mess to tidy up, without another word? Now where could they have been off to in such a hurry? Not like there is anything interesting in a girl with milk on her breath", she scoffs as she moves to go get her belongings.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Come on, Kags, you can't be envious of a sophomore. She is supposed to envy you", Kanna whispers in a mocking Kikyo voice as she follows her older cousin. "Don't behave as if you yourself don't believe she's the luckiest little twit around. She gets first dibs on Mr. Takahashi as an escort while the rest of us have to suffer with these old hags and senile creatures. At least she's so far out of his age range there's no real worry. Now, as for me…", Kagura rants.

"As for you, you would sooner fuck him and leave him then be bother being tied with him… Besides you know these walls always have ears and you should mind what you say", Kanna warns. Before Kagura can reply, Sesshoumaru stands up, gracefully throwing his suit jacket over his shoulder as he grips a stack of papers in his free hand. "Indeed, Ms. Kagami. Ms. Kaze should be more attentive of her words in present company as this Sesshoumaru will not tolerate gossip of any kind. Moreover, while the topic of your behavior is flattering, this Sesshoumaru finds your description of your pursuits repulsive. Consequently, before you find yourself drowning in further humiliation this evening, you girls are hereby dismissed from any tidying duties. Come tomorrow, this Sesshoumaru would reassign the role to other class mates", he states stoically. "Good evening Mr. Takahashi", Kanna mutters, as she cast her eyes away with Kagura following suit in the walk of shame past Sesshoumaru and towards the class door.

"Oh and Ms. Kaze, it would be wise that in the presence of this Sesshoumaru that you and your peers will refrain from vocalizing about your dislike Ms. Seiga. In a matter of simply caring for her well-being, it only shines light on a disturbing habit and as Ms. Kagami has mentioned it makes you appear resentful", he finishes as Kagura lightly nods her head before running after Kanna. As the door to the classroom closes, he can lightly hear the telltale signs of Kagura's frantic shriek, sucking her teeth, "Why didn't you tell me he was right there?!" Smirking to himself, he locks the classroom door as Rin arises from underneath the teacher's desk, readjusting her uniform into place as she removes the sweater from her waist and places it on her shoulders.

"I don't know if I should go and grovel for their mercy or kick you for jeopardizing your supposedly secretive involvement with me", Rin pouts. Sesshoumaru raises an eyebrow before placing on his familiar facemask. Rin smiles in return as she translates his gesture as meaning that she made him laugh as was usually the case when he did so in unfamiliar company. "So… now that everything is cleaned off back here, are you ready to escort me to Kagome's tonight?", she quips. "This Sesshoumaru wish you would reconsider and come to stay over tonight. As it stands, my parents are fonder of you than Ms. Miko. That is saying enough considering that, my father does not usually detest anything involving his investments. They surely will not mind you staying the night, they even talked about remodeling one of the guest rooms into your permanent room", Sesshoumaru replies, bombarding her with social bribes.

"As I said before and I'll say it again, while my father is at rehab, I will be staying be sticking to my house schedule. It'll wear off suspicion and I can behave as I will and do some pretty unsightly girly things without you always requiring my attention", she teases as she re-buttons her red school sweater, throwing her backpack over her shoulders before inadvertently toying with her glasses. "You are talking to the man who has saved your life from the ledge of a hospital balcony with tears and snot running down your face. How much more unsightly can you get in typically company? Furthermore, you are still disregarding this Sesshoumaru's suggestion about having Ms. Higurashi sleep over tonight. The welcome is extended to having her chaperoned by our company in the morning", he lightly addresses while flashing a small smirk.

Rin rolls her eyes before marching towards the door, grabbing Sesshoumaru's briefcase as she attempts to side step her way out the room. Before she can exit into the hallway, Sesshoumaru corners Rin into the doorway, shadowing her small frame with his taller and much bulkier one, as both arms barricade her head in place. Rin simply puts down her green backpack while folding her arms around Sesshoumaru's briefcase, a defiant smirk on her face. Sesshoumaru leans in and barely taps his lips against Rin's forehead. Her cheeks immediately becoming flamed, she mutters, "Why, Mr. Takahashi, I do believe you drive a hard bargain", before kissing his chin, pulling away in time to whisper, "But my answer still stands", walking off into the hallway to leave an amused Sesshoumaru to shut off the classroom lights and to lock the door.

Once they got inside of Sesshoumaru's black Bugatti, Sesshoumaru waits until Rin closes her car door before pulling her into his lap, ignoring the blaring horn as her arms presses against the wheel in shock while he kisses her senseless. Finally, Rin moves her arms from said alarm, to wrap them around Sesshoumaru's neck, taking a moment to throw aside her spectacles, giving in to his sensations as she kisses him in return. Pulling away from the intensity of the kiss, Rin opens her eyes with a lazy smile to say, "Okay, what are your terms?" "Now that is more like it", Sesshoumaru teases as he helps Rin back into the front passenger seat. "I'll call Kagome and tell her about the change in plans. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic about it", Rin pouts as she whips out the pink iPhone to dial a familiar number. "Guilt is the least persuasive means towards this Sesshoumaru. Do not forget who I am Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru grumbles diligently. "Just as long as you don't underestimate me, Sesshoumaru", she retorts before waiting for the knowing dial tone.

* * *

Meanwhile down a few more blocks from the school, Kagome, Sango and Miroku finish gushing about the first day of their midterms and upcoming practices. "Are you sure we shouldn't have waited for Rin?", Miroku asks again as the trio conclude their laughing riot upon exiting his car. "Uh… yeah, she was… busy when Kagome and I went to go pick her up. But I'm sure Mr. Takahashi is taking good care of her", Sango lightly blushes. Silence falls over the group as they approach Kagome's front door. "I'll worry more if she didn't call me the moment she got escorted home. She's supposed to be staying over my house tonight but she said she needed some last minute things. Sango, you should sleepover tonight as well", Kagome chirps as she turns the keys in her door. "I have to call my dad but it should be fun", Sango agrees.

"Hold on a moment, Kagome, is that you?", Kaori, shouts from the kitchen as she covers her oven mitt over the phone receiver. "Yeah, mom. Listen, can Sango stay over tonight since Souta is out at Shippou's?" "You may want to reconsider that arrangement sweetheart, Rin is on the phone", she announces as she hands the phone to Kagome once everyone was inside. "Hey, Rin… you can't back out. We're overdue for some serious girl time and we can even get Sango in with us", Kagome begins.

"I'm not backing out. Sesshy thinks it's best if you and… yeah, you and Sango just sleepover at the Takahashi mansion then the three of us try to fit into your house", Rin gripes. Suddenly a loud, 'hey' can be heard over the phone as the voice on the line changes to a deep stoic cadence. "Excuse Ms. Seiga's misrepresentation of my request. This Sesshoumaru does not mean to imply that your home is inadequate for her to stay in; it would just be preferable to everyone if all were to assemble at the Takahashi Manor. But that decision falls on you as I am to presume, Ms. Higurashi?"

"First off, school is over so… just call me Kagome", Kagome begins. "That is very forward of you, Ms. Higurashi, so it is duly noted. As you are given permission to call this Sesshoumaru by his name when outside of gossiping ears", Sesshoumaru coolly replies as the voice on the phone changes again. "So what do you say, Kagome? You and Sango, if your mom covers for Sango, then to the Takahashi's place", Rin asks. "Hold on, a second Rin…", Kagome concedes as she places her palm over the receiver. Before Kagome can utter a word of her question her mother says, "Go on and have fun, just make sure you girls call before heading to bed. And I want you all to head back here tomorrow afternoon for an actual sleepover. It'll be nice to catch up before you all grow up", she teases before leaving the trio to answer the girl on the phone.

"Is it alright if Miroku drives us there?", Kagome asks. On the other end, Rin merely blinks before Sesshoumaru pulls into her driveway with a reassuring nod. "It's about time he and InuYasha have a heart to heart. Sesshy tells me that they were friends since they were little kids. They should've gotten over the dispute by now", Rin chimes away. "Okay, we'll be there for dinner", Kagome confirms before disconnecting the phone lines. Turning her attention back to her other awaiting pals, she says, "Looks like we're going over to Sango's first before we head to InuYasha's place. You're invited as well, Miroku. And I was hoping we can use your ride instead of riding with Rin and Mr. Takahashi."

"Normally, I would say you're asking for a bit much, but seeing as it is a simple path to my own house, I guess I will manage", Miroku sheepishly smiles. "Okay, I'll be back in a second. I just need to grab a few essentials. Don't forget my mother is still here. And Jiji will have a fit if he catches either of you, so keep that in mind, Sango", Kagome teases as she races up to her bedroom.

With those parting words, Sango and Miroku finds themselves alone at the foot of Kagome's stairwell. Sango takes hold of both of Miroku's hands before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being such a good sport. I know you don't really want to be anywhere around InuYasha right now. But can you honestly throw away years of friendship because of girls?", she questions. "He did so first. He knows how I always felt about Kikyo and although I respected his wishes to still be with her nonetheless, he hasn't respected mine to not be coerced into attempting to like her. What is done is done. But perhaps, we can reconcile on a few conditions", he admits. "I don't want you to be by yourself when me and the girls do our thing. But to be honest, I don't want you to leave during the sleepover either", Sango blushes.

Miroku raises a palm and cups Sango's warming cheek. "I like the way that sounds more than I should", he flirts as he plants a chaste kiss against Sango's lips. Unfortunately, the moment ended quickly as his wandering hand got the best of him, causing Sango to pull away and to slug him just as Kagome came down the stairs. Leaning down to a crouching Miroku, Sango helps him stand up straight before rubbing away the darkening bruise on his cheek. "I'm going to have to put a leash on that hand of yours. It's a real mood killer", Sango teases before following a chuckling Kagome out of the house. "Have a good evening, Mrs. Higurashi!" "Bye, Mrs. H!", Sango chimes in after Miroku. "Bye, mom. We'll call when we arrive!", Kagome shouts as she closes the door behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile across town in the occasional car ride down the highway, Kagura, Kanna, and Naraku discuss the recent happenings of their school afternoon. "Are you sure of what you seen Kagami?", Naraku asks again as he pulls off an exit to head towards the house of the cousins. "Yes, when Kagura and I were making our way over to meet you at the school parking lot, I'm positive that the silhouette of Rin Seiga was poised erotically within Mr. Takahashi's vehicle with Mr. Takahashi's silhouette poised around her. And the horn was honking, I'm surprised you couldn't pinpoint that it was coming from that car, Kags", Kanna affirms.

"Well then that only affirms my sighting when we ran into her two dorky friends trying to block us from heading back into the art room. That's just sickening. He obviously has no idea what he's missing if he's messing with teeny bopper stuff", Kagura scowls. "The question still stands, what are we going to do about it?", Naraku taunts.

"It's not like we can do anything about it. If we bring it to the school board, it could leak all over the press and then there'll be no more of that snot nose brat. Then they'll be no more of that male ice god. So…", Kanna continues to ponder. "So what? I don't approve of just sitting around and seeing the welfare of such a young girl being questioned. If she simply broke it off between the two without anyone knowing the wiser, then perhaps we can help her keep her wandering eye to specimen closer to her own age", Kagura glowers.

"If only it was that simple. When I told Kikyo about it, she told me to butt out and that no one is to know of this. Her friends definitely know though, that much is certain. And if I were her, I wouldn't give up on that man simply because someone was forcing me to do so", Kanna confides as both girls turn their attention to the pale, brooding boy in the driver's seat as he pulls into their driveway.

"Then perhaps the answer is not in attacking the naïve girl but in her protector. Surely, instincts and pride is enough for him to destroy his own relationship. Nevertheless, that I leave up to you, Kagura. Try to find some other source of information to blackmail him on. The sooner he's out of Feudal High, the better we can reign in on the student body and put things back in order. As for you Kanna, I have another request for you to pay off my favor. I'm tired of being nice to a bunch of losers who know nothing about the struggle to stay on the top of the food chain. We can talk about it later. Good night, ladies", Naraku calls out as the two cousins exit out of his black Durango and into their home.

Seconds after making sure that the two girls were inside their house with the entrance lights flickering on, Naraku drives away with a devious smirk on his face. Activating the hands free cell phone charging in his car, he voice dials a familiar number. "My dear Kikyo, the beginnings of my plan are starting to take effect. You will have what you so desire oh so very soon…"

* * *

Outside the Takahashi mansion, Sesshoumaru drives in past the gates to the estate and to the underground parking for the valet to take over, finally exiting the car with Rin following behind him, holding a duffel bag of her belongings. Riding up the pristine silver elevator to the mansion's back entrance in silence, Rin smirks subtly as she mulls over the idea of how flustered the man beside her can make her feel.

Finally stopping at the back door entrance to the mansion, Rin leans against the doorframe as she judges correctly to the fact that Sesshoumaru will continue charging on and into the estate for another few yards. Noticing the lack of the sound of a second set of footsteps behind him, Sesshoumaru turns around in time to see Rin close the back door in front of her, waving with a wide smile on her face. Hoping she doesn't get herself lost in her antics, Sesshoumaru shakes his head in amusement as he continues down a long velvet carpeted hallway with heavily draped windows shining a sliver of light down the corridor. He calmly makes his way into the nearby study, dropping his briefcase on the desk near the entrance of the study before briskly walking back to the front entrance of the home.

He doesn't get very far before hearing the tell tale signs of his mother, his father and Rin laughing within the entrance hall of the Victorian styled home. Replacing his eager face with his cool mask, he greets his parents before turning an eye to Rin. "Oh dear, why didn't you take proper care of Rin this afternoon?", Izayoi questions upon gingerly touching the darkening bruise on Rin's cheek. Before Sesshoumaru can utter one word in his defense InuTaisho teases, "I know you simply can't help but to ravish the poor girl but keep it easy, son". Rin smirks as Sesshoumaru's face blanks out at his father's suggestion. "If you are done poking fun at my disposal, I am sure Rin announced the arrival of dinner guests this evening and they will be staying overnight. They should be here shortly along with Houshi", he begins.

"I was wondering whatever happened to Miro. Haven't seen him around since InuYasha started his private tutoring sessions", Izayoi ponders. "Blame Kikyo and I'm not simply saying that because of my dislike of her", Rin confesses. "You grow on me more and more everyday Seiga. Your father needs to hurry up and recover so we can discuss a new betrothal agreement", InuTaisho jokes lightly bumping the girl in amusement. "Well if you will pardon me, I have a few things to discuss with you desired future daughter-in-law", Sesshoumaru murmurs as he whips a rescuing arm around Rin's body, saving her rapidly reddening face as the two race back up the hallways and back to the study where he dropped his briefcase.

Closing the door securely behind him, Sesshoumaru barks, "Okay, are you done playing games? This Sesshoumaru does not lower himself to such means." "Oh loosen up, will you? You are overdue for a little playtime. Besides, I never got a chance to start because I nearly got lost. Lucky for you, I ran into your parents or else you _would have to_ find me", Rin pouts as she turns away from Sesshoumaru's dark glare. She nearly eeps at the sudden feel of his breath against her ears; his body merely lining her own as he wraps a possessive arm around her waist, pulling the collar of her shirt to blow against his hickie.

"It would not have been much of a chase. You make it entirely too easy to find you when you bare this… my mark on you. This Sesshoumaru merely needs to be within the vicinity to witness your sudden clumsy nature", he smolders as he moves to the opposite side of her neck with kisses trailing a path along the nape, between stray tendrils of raven hair still tightly braided into her signature ponytails. "Sessh…", Rin exhales as she quickly spins her body around to intercept his kisses.

Pulling away from her returning kiss, Sesshoumaru picks Rin up, her body cradled in his arms as he carries her around the desk in the middle of the study and towards the window ledge to watch the view over the large greenhouse against the settling sun. Silence envelops the two as they cuddle into the narrow ledge, trying to calm their racing hearts.

"Rin… perhaps this Sesshoumaru should take his parents offer into consideration", Sesshoumaru begins. "Well they were just being silly, I doubt it was a serious inquiry… It's not like you won't eventually get bored with me…", Rin chatters away while absently playing with his fingertips tracing small circles on her arms. "And if I suggest otherwise, what exactly would you do?" "Otherwise—I'll believe it when I see it, Sesshy", she teases. Sesshoumaru stops his comforting gestures, pulls his arm away to quickly pull out a small black box from his pocket, and places it in Rin's hand.

Rin's body stiffens at the sight of the small package before a nervous chuckle escapes her lips. Putting the box down on the windowsill, she gently nudges aside the small box from sight, pushing herself out of his complete grip to read his face. "For a second there, I thought you were serious… you can't be, right? We've only known each other for a few months. Sesshoumaru… what does this mean…", Rin voice wavers at the sight of Sesshoumaru becoming rigid in his actions. "This Sesshoumaru is not one to joke. You are correct in the assumption that the two of us barely know each other. However, you must admit there is an attraction that goes beyond the mortal realm we exist. Truth be told, you do have a bit of growing you can do before my obligations are fulfilled—this Sesshoumaru wishes to form a binding contract with you of some emotional worth", he breathes as he grabs the box and walks over to Rin to place the box in her hands.

"I'm not sure I can be confident enough to stand next to you. How can I face a world that will label us as detrimental to each other and stand by you? When the odds are against us, and I stand here, still in disbelief about any admission of your rare feelings, is it really as simple as you think to believe that you want to pursue an emotional attachment to me?" Rin begins to hyperventilate as she recedes back into her shy shell with the typical gesture of her glasses lowered down the bridge of her nose, her bangs covering her eyes as she plays with edges of her sweater. Sesshoumaru reaches out a steadying hand and places them against her shaking fingers as he opens the box for her to marvel at the item inside.

Rin fingers the small diamond studded, white gold band as silent tears of anxiety race down her cheeks. Gingerly tracing the edge of the ring, Sesshoumaru gently thrusts the jeweled band onto Rin's thin fingers before wiping away a stray tear with the pads of his thumbs. "Do not think. Just feel, Rin. As long as you are with this Sesshoumaru, the pressures of the society will not matter. I will shield you from it all. This Sesshoumaru would protect you from it all as long as it does not hurt you. We can be affianced, within the next year or two, engaged, and married. This Sesshoumaru… I… intend to continue this exhibition of things worth living for. I am just asking you, Rin Seiga, to bind yourself to me with a promise… from the man who you cannot fathom being away from", he quietly pleads as he matches Rin's stillness.

"Promise… this is a promise. Nothing too extreme, right?", Rin whispers as she tiptoes into Sesshoumaru's arms and lightly taps her lips against his cool, stilled ones, willing him to respond before lightly eeping at the feel of his arms circling her body and meshing her face with his as he deepens the kiss. Snaking her hands between the two, Rin sighs a breath of relief when the man before her finally pulls away with a light smirk on his face as liquid amber orbs gaze down intently at her own cloudy browned ones. "Okay… so where do we go from here?", Rin spews bubbly as she repositions herself into an upright sitting position facing Sesshoumaru.

A raised eyebrow was her only answer as a loud crash sounded throughout the mansion, breaking the intense moment the young couple held. "Come on. Let us go observe who is producing such a disturbance", Sesshoumaru announces as he holds an arm out to escort Rin out the room. "Maybe InuYasha is throwing another tantrum?", Rin comments quietly. "Of course, when it comes to the mongrel and my father trying to maintain this estate presentable at all times, I guarantee the grounds of his distress always form into a temper dilemma", Sesshoumaru teases. "Sometimes I wonder if he will ever behave older than I actually am?", Rin giggles as the two enter the scene of the commotion coming from the dining room.

* * *

Further, across town, Kikyo starts a new instant messaging conversation with Naraku as soon as he alerted her of his arrival in his own humbled abode.

Priestess69 (7:35:16 PM): So what's new?

Baboon813 (7:35:25 PM): Remember what I said about patience Kikyo. Certainly, you can maintain something of virtue within your life.

Priestess69 (7:36:02 PM): Don't start that with me Naraku. Just discuss the next development in this plan.

Baboon813 (7:36:15 PM): Just give me a moment to start another webcam session.

Priestess69 (7:37:02 PM): Don't, I'm on my cell now. My father is holding a meeting and I have to act like I'm listening. Just give me the important details and I'll get back to you in a moment.

Baboon813 (7:40:06 PM): Don't bother requesting a chat session after I tell you this. These are the next steps, non-negotiable and must actually happen as I say. Just got Kaze and Kagami into my plot. It is within your power to manipulate Ookami's hatred against Takahashi but be careful not to place yourself enemy to either side. I'm sure you know of the affair between your locker mate and InuYasha's brother. We're going to use that against them. With the forefront heir distracted with emotional relationship problems, he'll be out of the way. Use Takahashi's weakness for you, against his relationship with his parents and in the end Higurashi. I have a suspicion she's the root to his continued honor and strength besides his own parents. Although they doubt knowing each other well enough, there is more than the eye sees. That is all I will disclose for now. For now, your job is to divide and conquer.

Putting away her cell phone from view, Kikyo turns her attention back to the dictation being held by her father with a whimsical smile on her lips. "_Naraku… I will win this conquest in the end_", she mentally comments as she begins interacting with the meeting at hand.

* * *

Back at the Takahashi estate, two bruised and slightly bloodied teenage boys sit across from each other as InuTaisho paces back and forth in front of them. Miroku wipes away the trickling blood from his lip as InuYasha spits out the gritty remains of a chipped tooth. Turning his attention back to the adolescents behind him, InuTaisho begins his talk with both. "InuYasha, Miroku. For as long as I knew, you boys grew up as best friends to each other… worse is that you were pretty much brothers. Despite obvious differences in status and background, the two of you remain friends all throughout your child hood. However, what I just seen today was far from an example of your companionship. Whatever it is that has made you both so angry must end as of now. When I leave this room, I do not want to hear any shouting nor do I wish to see any further bodily harm to each other. You two are to talk out the problem like civilized men and then come and join the family and the rest of our guest for dinner. Just be happy, Izayoi isn't here to guilt you two into your wrong doings nor is Sesshoumaru here to gain reimbursement for what you did to Rin. I don't want to hear whose fault it was, it was an accident, though I would still allow him that privilege. I leave you two, but you will be watched".

With those words, InuTaisho walks around the boys and steps out the room, shutting the door behind him before locking the two boys inside. Silence fills the study as the two boys finally turn and look at each other in disgust. "What is your deal with Kikyo?", InuYasha seethes. "Let's see, other than manipulating everything and everyone around her, and having some unfound hatred against the girl I'm dating and her friends, nothing at all", Miroku spits back. "You once promised that as long as I was happy, you'll let me do whatever I want when it comes to who I love", InuYasha continues on.

"Yes, but as a good friend, I make sure others don't take advantage of that. She only wants you for your money InuYasha. And yes, I know she's wealthy herself but when was the last time she's shown herself as someone more than a trophy girlfriend. I'm saying this because your anniversary is coming up but what is there to show for your relationship when all you two do is occasionally fuck and increase popularity amongst the masses", Miroku wisely instructs.

Taking a moment to exhale and refrain from grinding his teeth, InuYasha calmly states, "Miroku… I understand that but let me make my own mistakes. I know it kills you to see me do stupid things but just let it happen with fair warning and if I ignore you can laugh at me. Miro…just be there when I need someone else to blame rather than myself", before finishing the statement with a smirk and an offering hand. Miroku smiles back in return, taking the hand and shaking it while confirming, "I can agree to that just as long as you promise to admit when your girlfriend is being plain cruel. Wrong is wrong, there's no way around it".

"Good, now that you're back, what the hell am I supposed to do with Kouga?", InuYasha groans. "I'm sorry to say but you guys initiated him into the clique, now it's your job to get him out. Besides, I'm still going to hang out with these so call dorks. Believe it or not, I think I actually like having real friends even if I dropped off the face of the social radar", Miroku chuckles. "Maybe, I can fix that…" InuYasha grins.

As InuYasha leads Miroku to the door, reaching to the overhead ledge for the hidden key to unlock it, he awaits for his companion to exit the room first before locking the door behind himself. Making their way to the dining room, InuYasha stops in his tracks as he begins to hesitate entering the archway. "Man, what are we going to say to Seiga?", he mutters to Miroku. "Forget about Rin, she'll forgive us. What are we going to say to Sesshoumaru?", Miroku gulps as the aforementioned stands as the two were announced into the dining room by one of the household staff.

"Uh…", the two boys simultaneously begins. "Sesshy, please don't hurt them… it was an accident and my hand feels fine", Rin excuses from the table. The two teenage boys look at each other before bursting out in laughter. "Please don't tell me you actually answer to that?", InuYasha taunts. "Now that's a step I never seen Sesshoumaru take in any relationship", Miroku wheezes. "As a matter of fact, go crazy", Rin changes as the laughter immediately ceases with the sounds of the two teenage boys running around the dining room and out of Sesshoumaru's grasp.

* * *

Next morning, the group of friends left the Takahashi estate in drones as they split up to get ready for a new school day. InuYasha woke up early to pick up Kikyo, like usual, as Miroku, Sango, and Kagome made sure to be ready and out of the house before Rin and Sesshoumaru can make their exit and hide their relationship from the public, now that Miroku was in the loop. After putting away her homework for her morning classes, Rin meets with Sesshoumaru in the kitchen to grab last minute remains of the morning breakfast platter. The usual food within their hands, coffee and juice box to each appropriate person, Rin tiptoes to kiss Sesshoumaru before wishing him a good day with classes. The couple steps out of the door, into the black Bugatti the valet pulls around, as they make their way casually to the school grounds.

Before exiting the vehicle, Rin pauses Sesshoumaru's movements as her fingers begin to dance along his thigh. Reclosing the car door, Sesshoumaru takes a deep breath before whispering, "Rin… do you have any idea of what you are doing?" "Making you feel…", she exhales as her fingers begin to dance higher. Taking her hand in his, Sesshoumaru causes a blushing Rin to look at him with her innocent brown eyes.

"Trust me, I feel more than enough… now, what is going on inside that brilliant mind of yours to try something so—daring…", he comforts before squeezing her hand. "Well, I don't know if you noticed but I've been challenging myself to become more brazen in my interactions lately… You said it was one of the first steps to regaining valor… I figure with the way you've been so receptive…", Rin continues on, blushing fiercely with every passing moment. Leaning over the armrest, Sesshoumaru plants a chaste kiss on Rin's forehead, silencing her qualms as her heart begins to cool.

"That applies to other realms outside of this liaison. I have applauded your choice in joining show choir and participating in courses where you would have to face vocal criticism as in my 3D Design course. However, those achievements should not be reflected in experimentation in this relationship, am I understood, Ms. Seiga?", was all Sesshoumaru manages to say as Rin begins pouting while crossing her arms. With a hint of smile appearing at her slight attitude, he pushes a finger against her eyebrows, forcing the furrowing to stop and causing her to smile in response, playfully pushing his hand away. "Okay. I'll try to be bold somewhere else…" "Yes. Do so. This Sesshoumaru does not take kindly to having his will tested", he whispers while starring her down with a slightly seductive look.

With the alarm on her phone ringing, signaling it was time for her to be early to class, Rin pulls away with a small smirk before skipping out of the car with her green backpack in tow, leaving Sesshoumaru to alarm his vehicle while she continues on to her morning classes.

* * *

By the time the lunch period rolls around, the dynamic of the social class within Feudal High changes dramatically. With the reconstruction of InuYasha and Miroku's friendship, InuYasha finally had the guts to merge the two groups together in front of the student body. With Kikyo's assistance, he called both groups together so that everyone pulled two tables together to sit together at lunch. Kikyo even went as far as to quiet the entire student body before making a ceremony out of the incident, away from the eyes of administrators as they all were called away for a staff meeting.

"Even though Kaze isn't here to finalize the recent development in our vote, I entrust you, Kagami to entail the details to your cousin. Therefore, we as members of Feudal High's social elite invite you, Kagome Higurashi, you, Rin Seiga, you, Sango Tajiya, and the return of you, Miroku Houshi, to our realms. Everyone else sitting in this building would no longer regard you as a passing peer, instead they shall bow to your whims as so be it. In exchange they would acknowledge, Higurashi—Feudal High's smartest negotiator, Tajiya—Feudal High's judging enforcer, and you Seiga—no longer should be known as the victim but Feudal High's Party Queen. Do you agree to abide by the roles of our social life?", Kikyo announces.

The cafeteria grows quiet as Kagome gives InuYasha a look before confirming with her fellow comrades. "What's the catch?", Sango questions aloud. "No catch, I figure you guys manage to keep Houshi's attention even though he's Feudal High's playboy and he wouldn't stop bragging about you so…", InuYasha explains. "We accept your offer, Miko in turn that you give the student body one week probation to get used to the changes", Sango declares as she stands to shake Kikyo's hand in acceptance.

Chatter refills the large dining hall after the transaction takes place and the gang finally returns to their own personal discussions. "I wonder where Sesshoumaru is. He usually pretends to just be stopping by around now", Rin whispers to Kagome and Sango. "Now that you guys are official, I'm sure Miroku has let you know that you no longer can dress as you wish. We may be in uniform but we must dress to impress", Yura informs the newcomers. "No offense, but I like the way I dress", Kagome mumbles shyly. "And so does your grandfather…", Kanna comments under her breath. Kouga, Naraku and Miroku ends up sniggering at the comment as Sango sends them death glares in annoyance. "So what do you suppose? A shopping trip to the world's smuttiest boutique", Sango jeers back.

"Actually once Kagura gets here, she will arrange a shopping expedition where she coordinates each and every person's new appearance. Nothing too drastic to outshine their true personality, I promise you", Kouga replies, smiling lightly at Kagome. "I was wondering how wolf boy managed to clean up so well", InuYasha taunts as Kouga's smile turns into a sneer. Kagome clears her throat, causing the two boys to settle down a bit before another fight ensues. Suddenly the cafeteria doors swing open and Kagura comes running, out of breath before taking a seat between Rin and Kanna. Finally taking a moment to check her appearance in a handy little mirror she fishes out of her blouse she snaps the compact glass shut at the sight of Rin at the table, nearly jumping at surprise.

Looking around the table she regains her composure before calmly saying, "I take it that along with actually learning your names, I'm going to be giving a makeover to you three girls. Okay, so meet me when extracurriculars are over. I'll do a quick assessment, and then we'll shop during the weekend." Putting away her compact mirror, she sends Kikyo a sly look just as the school bell rings. With the group standing and taking leave of the cafeteria, Rin lingers behind to text a message to Sesshoumaru. "**_Where were you today? Outside of my morning class, the only other times I get to see you are Lunch and 3D Design. Something amazing happened today and I wanted to spaz. Staff meeting or not, that's no excuse. You can make it up when you take me to the psychiatrist._**", she texts before putting away her iPhone and racing to her locker.

* * *

Meanwhile, up a couple flights of stairs, Sesshoumaru stands alone in the staff lavatory; splashed water droplets running off his face as he stares at the mirror in front of him at his redden hands and slightly puffed lips. A replay of the events that just took place churn in his head as he ignores the vibrating sounds of the PDA against the sink's counter.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

It was shortly after the bell marking the fifth period had ringed and Sesshoumaru was packing his belongings in quick haste to meet up with Rin before he had to attend the mandatory staff meeting. Having covered the previous history class that was sanctioned for seniors, he felt mentally taxed at the idiocy that runs rampant within Feudal High's graduating class. "_You would think that after four years in this institution that these imbeciles would grasp something about their pasts but these days the kids are more concerned with their looks and gossip then picking up their books. Lucky for this Sesshoumaru has a lady like Rin by his side. Perhaps she can change the direction of these minds_", he mentally concludes before looking up and noticing not every student has left the classroom.

Kagura Kaze has been staring at him during the entire lesson. While he was used to the attention from so many forlorn teens within the building, this type of stare was unusual in Kagura's behavior simply because she tended to discreetly do it and not in the same manner as other students. Catching her eye as she stands by the classroom door, Sesshoumaru dismisses the look before calling out, "Ms. Kaze is there something I can do for you?" The next few moments both shock and appalled the silver haired young adult in the room. Quickly shutting the door and moving away from the doorway, Kagura dims the light in the room before strutting over to the desk Sesshoumaru sat at.

"As a matter of fact, Mr. Takahashi, May I call you Sesshoumaru?", Kagura begins to attempt in seducing. "No you may not Ms. Kaze. Now what is this—", Sesshoumaru begins to say before Kagura leans down and crashes her lips down on his mouth. Staying completely still at the contact, Sesshoumaru was at a momentary loss as of what to do when he heard the sound of a camera shutter clicking just above them. Quickly, Kagura pulls back and checks the image on her iPhone as she viciously rubs at her redden lips. The lip-stain she wore was now a light residue against Sesshoumaru's mouth as she applies a fresh coat on her bow shaped pucker.

"I know what you have been doing. And if you want to keep this away from the school board as you spend your last month here and keep the brat you're with out of the tabloids as well as the courts, you would do what I say. Is that clear, Sesshoumaru?", Kagura eerily smiles as she fingers the braided silver mane at the back of his head. "What do you want, Kaze?", he seethes, a cold, blank stare radiating out of his amber eyes. "I need your help in breaking away from Naraku by starting an affair. However, in order for this to work you cannot be emotionally attached to anyone because when he finds out he would use it against you. Over the course of the next four weeks or so, you would go out with me as I collect evidence. The way the arrangement between the Hihi and Kaze family works is that I cannot get a hold of the rest of my funds until I am either 21 or aptly engaged to Naraku. However, the entire thing can go south and I gain nothing if he calls infidelity out on me before I can call it out on him; or if I prove to be anything other than heterosexual. So in order to be free I have to play this part discreetly while collecting evidence that I can have relations with the opposite sex. I'm working on proving Naraku's infidelity as well and can use some assistance", Kagura blabs.

"Why this? Why now?", Sesshoumaru exhales as he puts his hands against his forehead in defeat. "I am running out of time. I'm almost positive Naraku is doing something of ill will to my cousin, Kanna. Moreover, she is probably doing it to save me. Nevertheless, I would save myself… by any means necessary. Moreover, while I am damn hot, I'm not sure rumors of my lesbianism would go over well in this school. Before I came here, there was already talking from my old school about how I never had a boyfriend. Then because of it, my parents made the arrangement with Hihi right before they suspiciously passed on. I don't mean to break you down with my sob story or to cause harm to the victim. Honestly, I wish you weren't even involved. But I have some information for you in regards as Naraku's plan to bring down your enterprise and I figured if you were involved with this as well, I can have some sort of leverage…", she explains playing with the edges of her tight pencil skirt.

"Kaze… if you were in a different realm you would have been a formidable business partner. Although this Sesshoumaru wishes no harm to befall Ms. Seiga. For the greater good, her emotions would have to be set aside. It should give her time to mature as well. When do I start?", Sesshoumaru asks. "Meet me by the janitor closet after your class in 3D design. Oh and make sure you tell Seiga nothing of this arrangement. You are going to have to let that relationship fall apart on its own. However, do it quickly. The more she knows the more this entire thing can be compromised", Kagura explains before raising the lights in the classroom. As Sesshoumaru stands to head out of the room, Kagura grabs hold of his hands and whispers, "Be sure to congratulate the brat and her friends for becoming part of my crew… You may want to get yourself clean up before rushing off…"

Throwing open the class room door, she saunters off into the hallways as Sesshoumaru stifles the upcoming growl sounding out of his body.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

He was barely able to sit through the staff meeting without trying to scratch his skin off. "_They will pay… and when it is over… I will have what is mine…._", he mentally seethes before straightening himself and continuing with his schedule.

* * *

By the end of the school day, a frustrated Rin waits outside her locker with Kikyo, Kagome and Sango as Kagura rounds the corner. Spritzing on a few sprays of her Dolce &amp; Gabana perfume, Kagura greets each girl with a light embrace before starting her assessment. "I see neither of you three wear anything other than your body odor. First, up you must start recognizing your favorite fragrances and become the very essence and ideal of it. We can continue after you girls have done your research", Kagura briefly instructs. "Can I smell your perfume again?", Rin meekly questions as Kagura rubs her neck lightly and offers up her wrist. "That smells really familiar. But I think it's the scent underneath it", she analyzes. "Let me get this straight, you have us waiting around after we rush to meet up with you, only to have us go away and do some research?", Sango rudely questions.

"Yes. I am the fashion expert here and as well as the one to teach you etiquette along with Kikyo, or must I remind you that the everyday ponytail hairstyle went out with Napoleon Dynamite", Kagura stoically comments. Sango scoffs as Kagome and Rin hold her back, dismissing themselves from the presence of the Kanna and Kikyo. Once alone, Kikyo turns to Kagura with a knowing look on her face. "That naïve brat has no idea, does she? I have to admit, you almost had me worried when she said she recognized the scent. Exactly where have your hands been and should I be requesting hand sanitizer before having you touch me again?", Kikyo teases as she laughs mockingly. "Relax, he just allowed me to grope him this afternoon. Just let you and Naraku continue doing your job and it will cease to be any sort of contact between the two. However, I did notice the ring on Rin's hand. Kanna pointed out to me. What are we to do about that?", Kagura asks rhetorically as she walks with Kikyo to the school exit.

"One way or another, it will be gone", Kikyo jokes as the two chuckles upon exiting the school building.


	10. Withering Hearts

**Withering Hearts**

Rin stands outside the school building and waiting with her closest comrades at the staff parking lot. She continues replaying the odd moments during 3D Design class where Sesshoumaru not only neglects to call on her during the entire class but made no commentary about her work in front of the others. Then to make matters worse, when she waited around to volunteer and clean up after class, he swiftly dismissed her with the excuse that forced her to wait by her locker. And after waiting for what seemed like forever, she received a text that something came up so she was to meet him at the parking lot. Therefore, her thoughts were far away when she finally comes back to reality with Kagome waving her hand in front of Rin's face. "Earth to Rin… anyone in there? We were making plans for Thursday…", Kagome explains.

"Is it just me or is Sesshoumaru starting to act really funny?", Rin mutters aloud after waving off Kikyo and InuYasha as the couple drove away in his red Ferrari. "Last I check, Sesshoumaru doesn't do anything remotely amusing", Miroku jokes in a mocking stoic voice. Awkward silence develops amongst the small group as Sango nudges the boy with a disapproving shake of her head. "I'm sure it's nothing, Rin. He may just be a bit overworked… it is midterms week and the other teachers are using him to their advantage before he's gone next term", Kagome consoles to Rin's amusement. "That's still no excuse for nearly shoving her away when we came to get her", Sango scoffs at remembering the brief encounter. "Come on, give the man a break. He seemed distracted all afternoon. Who knows? Maybe he's uncomfortable with personal displays", Miroku questions. "I guess… but there was something off about this afternoon…", Rin mutters as she begins to finger her ring.

Suddenly the man of the hour exits the school building and walks over to the awaiting group of friends with a cold, hard look on his diplomatic face. All comments die on the throats of the four comrades as he comes to a stop before them. "Ms. Seiga, I trust you are ready for your departure? There has been a change of plans so tonight you have to settle at your address. Actually, you may need to settle at your residence for the next couple of evenings", he dismisses before turning to head to his awaiting vehicle. "But, Sessh—Mr. Takahashi. I—I'm sort of afraid…", Rin begins to mumble. "Ms. Seiga that is another ordeal for you to conquer", Sesshoumaru intrudes. "Hold up—what in the world is your problem? If the lady says she's scared why would you—", Miroku begins to defend as Rin raises a small hand up to stop his talking.

"It's okay, Houshi. He's right. I guess I just gotten too used to always having him drive me around and then I even have been staying at his house outside of the parameters set. Some people may feel a bit uncomfortable. He just needs his comfort zone. I'll be okay…", she dismisses. Before she can follow behind the silver haired young adult, Sango grabs hold of Rin's hand, catching sight of the unshed tears building up in her friend's face.

"Rin… I'll come over and stay with you tonight. Just give me a moment to call my dad…", Sango begins. Rin inhales briefly before plastering on a big smile on her face. "No—Sango, really it's okay. And that goes for you too Kagome. I'm always depending on you guys to keep me safe. It's about time I stay a night in my own room. Besides, no offense but I sort of miss my own bed. I'll call you guys later tonight though", Rin calls out as she quickly spins around and takes off after Sesshoumaru before her friends can debate any more on the topic.

Once inside of the black Bugatti and completely buckled in, an uncomfortable silence envelops the couple after Rin waves her friends off as they head over to the student parking lot. "Um… Sessh… Mr. Takahashi, can I speak with you for a moment?", Rin barely whispers as Sesshoumaru tightens his grip on the steering wheel. The silence stretches out between the two until Sesshoumaru pulls up just outside of Rin's house. Turning off the ignition, he turns his attention to the girl beside him with cold eyes focus on her clouded brown orbs. "I just want to thank you for everything you have done for me for the past couple of months. Everything from taking me to my therapy sessions, to taking me to see my dad, to having me stay at your house for a bit. I guess I have been a burden and it's about time you get some space, right?", she beams with a light smile on her face.

Nervous by the awkward silence in the vehicle, she quickly whispers her goodbye before throwing her backpack on her back and climbing out of the car. "Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru calls out before she can close the door to the Bugatti. Rin turns to see cold eyes glare at her. "This arrangement is permanent. This Sesshoumaru is requesting his space… indefinitely", he mutters as he watches Rin drops her bag on the ground in shock.

"What do you mean—", she begins to mutter through trembling lips. "Ms. Seiga, you are not stupid. I am certain you know what I meant. At this moment in time, this Sesshoumaru is calling this affiliation off. It has been unsafe for your health and you have fostered a rather disturbing dependency on my existence in your life. So much so, it is beginning to stunt your rationale development. However, the best solution would be to remain as comrades", he begins before watching as Rin falls to her knees on the pavement outside the vehicle, her entire body beginning to tremor.

"We were already friends… what did I do? How can I fix this? Just tell me, Sesshoumaru…", she nearly shrieks as she turns her face away from the silver haired young adult before her. Climbing out the driver's seat, Sesshoumaru walks around the front of the Bugatti, forcing Rin to return to her feet as he tries to ignore her shaking frame. "It wasn't a dream… was it? I mean, you never said you loved me but I thought you at least felt… and you promised—_you_ promised, you asked me to stay by your side… was it all a lie?", she begins to ramble, pacing away from him. "Ms. Seiga—", Sesshoumaru begins before Rin wheels around and slaps him. "STOP CALLING ME THAT! LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT ME! TELL ME THIS ENTIRE THING WASN'T A LIE!", she shrieks taking off the ring on her hand and pitching it at the man. Silence was her only answer as she lets the tears fall. Stomping over to her backpack, she rips the green knapsack open to reach in and pull out the pink iPhone. "Ms. Seiga—let us not be irrational, you need—", Sesshoumaru starts to approach her, only to be frozen at the sight of angry brown eyes glaring at him.

"I don't need anything from you… I don't need anything from a cowardly liar…", she yells, throwing the phone at his head only for him to catch it in the air one-handed. Situating the massive green knapsack onto her small back, she stands up and tries to steady herself to enter her house only to turn around and walk right into Sesshoumaru's tall, dark suited body. "Ms. Seiga—I am truly sorry…", he mutters as she pushes past him and into her house.

Once inside, and with her back on the door, she fights the urge to peer out of the window and watch him walk away. Taking a shaky breath, she drops her bag in the dark house, huddling in on herself as she drops to her knees and lets her tears out.

* * *

Further up across town, inside of a mansion styled after the Silicon Valley Chateau, within a ruby and cream interior decorated room, a pale raven-haired girl paces back and forth, as she holds a little wand in her hand. Finally, after hours of pacing, the teenage girl throws down the wand before ripping away the last remains of her school uniform. With her body nearly nude but with the modesty of her black laced undergarments, the girl begins parading in front of her mirror, trying to seek out any noticeable body changes. Sighing a breath of relief, she walks into her bathroom, shutting the door to take a nice, long, steamy shower.

"_This can't be happening to me_", the girl mentally confirms as she washes away her problems. "_I'll go get it checked out at the doctors, after our anniversary next week_", she mentally concludes as she finishes her shower early with the ending of hot water. Wrapping herself in a red towel, she exits the room only to come face to face with two acquaintances. "How far along are you?", Kanna asks cautiously holding the container for the pregnancy test. "What are you two doing in here? And who let you in?", Kikyo seethes as she quiets her beating heart. "The butler showed us to the entrance hall, Kanna and her quirky psyche led us to your room. Where we found your test. I'm pretty sure you don't want daddy dearest to find this", Kagura taunts under a cool mask.

"This is none of your business. I trust you two to find your way out and wait for me to address you in the entrance hall", Kikyo dismisses as she begins to grab another towel to dry her hair. "Oh but the issue is of our concern. Especially when there's a possibility that this can be Naraku's child", Kagura continues. Kikyo pauses in her actions, taking a moment to compose her face before turning to the guest in question. "And by chance how do you acquire this knowledge? Through Kanna's psychic visions?", Kikyo scoffs. "It's no secret as to why Naraku does everything under your power Kikyo. The only one oblivious to it is your precious moneymaker boyfriend, oh excuse me, should I say betrothed? I'm sure you know what happens to that agreement when infidelity is proven before the marriage. And seeing as Naraku is my intended, the consequences will be dire on both ends", Kagura mildly threatens.

"Fine—what do you want from me?", Kikyo groans as she throws herself into the nearest cushioned chaise. "Help in freeing me and Kanna from Naraku's control. Our family left us as future heirs to our fortune and we shouldn't need a man to claim that fortune. Especially one of the likes of Naraku", Kagura seethes. "And how am I supposed to do this? Change the law? Naraku is entitled to his rights as I am to mine when it comes to the affairs of the wealthy. What exactly am I helping you do?" "You already begun by having Kagura toy in the affairs of the Takahashi heirs. However, we were wondering if you would allow the affair between Sesshoumaru and Kagura to go public at the end of this as something much more serious. Kagura would be 18 in a few more months. Due to embarrassment, certainly, Naraku will be inclined to reject the betrothal and we get to keep our entitlement. And he would not be harmed other than his pride", Kanna assures the questioning teen.

"Trust me, Kikyo. You don't want to be one of Naraku's puppets. He makes it seem as if you're in control but in the end, he somehow pulls the strings to make sure he's the only remaining victor. Consider this a warning and precaution against other actions", Kagura finishes. "Okay I agree to the situation on hand. However, let's not be so hasty. I want to make sure InuYasha has no idea who's involved with what's going on between his brother and the snot nose brat he's in love with. All of this must be kept out of suspicion. So you'll wait on my cue and in the end I'll make sure Naraku will see his downfall as well", Kikyo agrees, confirming the deal by shaking the hands of both acquaintances.

"You know girls. You're not as annoying as Yura and I knew her longer. I may be trusting you two more as our dealings go on", Kikyo cackles with her guest as she directs them out of her room so she can finish getting dressed.

* * *

Back across town, Rin exits the shower, having just placed a phone call to her friends, they were on their way to her house after revealing the break-up. Quickly putting on a pair of dark yoga pants and a snug, green teddy bear t-shirt that she last wore as a preteen, she heads downstairs, allowing her hair to air dry as she throws the messy, raven curls into a very loose bun at the crown of her head. Turning on every light she can find in the house, she quickly finds her glasses and places the thin frames back on her face. Shuddering at the hidden dark corners still apparent in certain sections of the house, she quickly makes her way to the kitchen as her stomach begins to grumble. Staring intently at contents of the refrigerator, her appetite was immediately loss as she remembered that no one has gone grocery shopping or cleared the container for the past 3 months. Stopping her heart from thinking of the reason she was not home, she grabs the trashcan and some cleaning supplies before going to work on the contents inside.

Soon a half an hour pasts before Rin sits in front of a completely emptied refrigerator, holding her now talking stomach. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she frowns as she remembers that it was nearly time for her to take her pain medication. Turning her attention back to the refrigerator, she sighs before tying up the trash and deciding to take the trash out before she thinks about taking those awful pills. "_I wonder if Gome and San would want to eat take-out tonight?_", she mentally churns as she kicks her slippers on and a light jacket before cautiously approaching her front door. Peering out at the empty front lawn, she was surprised at the sight of the familiar black Bugatti sitting right outside the picket fence of her house. Blinking rapidly, she tries to see if anyone was inside the vehicle before the feeling of a dark shadow behind her scares her right out of her skin.

Nearly shrieking in fright, Rin's fear dies on her lips when she recognizes the familiar dark suit and silver locks standing in front of her in a perfectly chiseled face and golden eyes. "You have two minutes to leave before I call the cops…", Rin begins to threaten. "Then you are going to need this for a quicker reaction, Ms. Seiga", Sesshoumaru tsks, sliding Rin the pink iPhone back in her hand. "What do you want Mr. Takahashi", she seethes, dropping the bagged trash against the door and folding her arms. "Believe it or not, I do actually care about you, Rin. I never meant to hurt you", Sesshoumaru breathes as he tries to reach out and touch the girl in front of him only to be met with a hard glare. "Yeah, let me guess. You just care so much that it would be better to be my guardian or a friend than being my lover. You know my feelings for you were a mistake to indulge in because it is harmful to my being. Do me a favor and just disappear from my life… let me continue to believe you're disgusted with me", Rin whispers as fresh tears run down face.

"Rin… that is the last thing that crosses my mind when I think about you", Sesshoumaru mutters as he removes the glasses from her cheerless face and wipes at her tears. "I don't know what to believe anymore… you say you want to be friends and that this is not my fault but… you're standing there acting as if…", she dismisses before Sesshoumaru's lips come crashing down on hers. Shocked and slightly confused at his actions, Rin tries to fight off his embrace only serving to further drag her body closer to his as he deepens the kiss. After a calculated moment where Rin tries to cease her anxiety, she returns the kiss, meshing her body into his, seeking the comfort in his missing touch. His body looming over hers to the point where he grew weary of craning his neck, Sesshoumaru wraps his arms around Rin's small frame, hoisting her in the air as they never broke their kiss.

As the contact progressed, Rin's arms raise above Sesshoumaru's shoulder as her fingers places a death grip against the slight curve in the neckline while her legs proceeded to wrap themselves around his torso. Being the first to break away from the kiss, Rin gasps as Sesshoumaru slightly adjusts her body so that she was hoisted even higher in the air, raising the pockets of the fitted suit jacket he wore. In his movement, his hands now rested against Rin's thighs, causing her to shudder as he strokes the soft, sheer fabric against them. Staring down at the golden orbs beneath her, Rin starts to tear up at the sight of his blankest face. "Sesshoumaru… I-I…I love you", she whimpers. "Rin… I am—", he carefully begins but stops at the feel of his pocket vibrate against his pant leg. Slowly setting Rin on her feet, he grabs hold of the trash bag and plants a chaste kiss against her smooth forehead before turning to exit through the front door.

"Please… make sure you lock the front door Ms. Seiga. And be sure to get yourself something to eat with what I left on the counter", he calls out, quickly exiting the house and closing the door behind him. Rin remains standing in the exact place he left her as her thoughts consume her. With another gnawing pain to her stomach, she snaps out of her reverie and locks the door before racing up the steps and to her medicine cabinet to take her daily dosage. A few moments later, the doorbell rings and Rin slowly trails her steps back downstairs as she opens the door to see a fuming Sango and a sympathetic Kagome waiting for her.

"Did he try to beg to get you back? Because that jerk—he's not worth your time", Sango glowers upon greeting. Kagome immediately hugs Rin, handing the girl her glasses as she silently inspects for signs of crying. "We ran into him on our way here, he asked us to give these back to you and to make sure you ate something…", Kagome explains as Rin looks over the thin frames before wiping them off with the band of her pants and replacing them on her face.

"Thank you. How does takeout sound for dinner? I never got a chance to get some groceries", Rin explains as she leads her friends inside and relocks the front door. Heading into the kitchen, Rin stops as she spots a black credit card with her name, a wad of cash folded and rubber band, and the ring she threw at Sesshoumaru sitting on the kitchen counter. Quickly turning around, she bumps into her friends as they continue to walk past her and into the kitchen. Sango goes straight to Rin's refrigerator and scoffs at the empty contents within. "You weren't kidding… how about we cut the last class and go shopping for groceries tomorrow, after school?", Sango calls out. Kagome walks over to the few dishes in the sink and begins to tidy them into the adjacent dishwasher. "Takeout sounds good, Rin. Why don't you head upstairs and finish that essay? Sango can get Houshi to swing by with some refreshments after I order the food", Kagome smiles after handing Rin her and Sango's belongings.

Rin looks over at the two friends in front of her and smiles before nodding reassuringly, swiping the contents on the kitchen counter and heading upstairs to place their bags in her room. Once upstairs and by herself, Rin dims the lights, lightly closing the door as she fingers the ring. Dark thoughts begin to consume her mind as every memory of the short time she and Sesshoumaru spent together during the last few months came flooding back with a fresh set of tears. Jhene Aiko's "The Worst" begins to flit through her lips as she clutches the ring against her heart.

"_Tell me—whatcha say now, Tell me—whatcha say? You said-that you would, come again… You said-that we would, remain friends… but—you know that I do not—depend on… No-thing… or no one… So why would—you show up, so un—invited… then, Just change… my mind—like that…_", Rin begins before dropping her hands and letting the tears run down her face. "_Please don't take this—personal… But you ain't shit, and you weren't special—Til I… made you so… You better act—like you know… That I been through… worse than you… I just can't… keep runnin' away… I don't need you, I don't need you, I don't need you, I don't need you… But I want you… (But I want you…)I don't mean to, I don't mean to, I don't mean to, I don't mean to… But I love you…_", she harmonizes before furiously wiping away her tears and placing her glasses back on her face. Searching for a light and thin chain in the jewelry box on her dresser, she places the ring on the thin gold necklace she finds before putting it around her neck and turns to her laptop to finish off her essay.

* * *

Later on that evening, during dinner within the large Victorian designed estate, three silver haired males sit down with the head lady of the household as they make idle chatter about business. "So with that in mind, we should really consider possibly making a merger with at least one of our rivals just in case the Miko merger doesn't completely live up to its name", InuTaisho dictates over the dinner table. "So it's your choice boys. Of our rivals which one would you rather benefit from: Ookami's Car Industry, which will further branch our horizons to expand our marketing, or Hihi's Steel Manufacturing, which will further our productivity", Izayoi follows in discussion. "Seriously do you guys just look up everyone we go to school with who are heirs to certain industries so as to make sure their always in our lives? And who the fuck gives a damn about steel? I say titanium is where it's at", InuYasha comments.

InuTaisho lightly nods his head as Izayoi rolls her eyes at her son's crude way of making a marketing decision. "It is mere coincidence that the future heirs of these industries are school mates of you boys. What says you Sesshoumaru?", InuTaisho asks the quiet young man, idly playing with his food during the entire conversation. "How about we turn to other industries that are not competing to further our marketing to other people? For instance, partnering with Seiga's Gaming Industries can help expand our marketing as well", Sesshoumaru chimes in mildly before putting down his fork. "Sesshoumaru, I like your view point but without an actual head of company, that idea would be placed on the backburner. Moreover, InuYasha, I don't want to hear any snide remarks coming from you about your aforementioned statement. Nevertheless, what's the matter sweetheart? You barely touch your plate this evening. Are you ill? We'll have the doctor come in the morning and someone can cover for you at the school", Izayoi begins to worry.

"No mother. I am weary… I imagine. May I be excused?", Sesshoumaru asks, quickly dismissing himself without waiting for a response from the dining table. The remaining Takahashi family gave each other a look that said something was very much wrong. "Maybe I should…", Izayoi begins. "No, mom. Maybe he just needs to chill out for a while. We don't need you worrying yourself sick", InuYasha cuts in. "I never worry myself—", she tries to begin again. "Dear, just give it a rest and let's finish our dinner in peace", InuTaisho dismisses. "I don't know who you think you're talking to but you will get yours in bed tonight Taisho", Izayoi quips making InuYasha drop his fork. "You guys are gross. You're like… old. Can I be excused?", InuYasha gags.

"Yes, you may. And I have you know InuYasha, that we're still young enough to give you another brother and old enough to whoop your behind", InuTaisho remarks as InuYasha laughs himself out of the dining room. With only the Takahashi parents in the room, Izayoi and InuTaisho move closer together to share one light kiss during their meal. "You don't think we're getting to old for this, do you?", Izayoi teases as she pulls away from her husband. "For the excitement, perhaps we can dial it back a bit. However, our love… never, my dear. Never too old", InuTaisho chuckles.

"Speaking of making children, I find it weird that Rin isn't at dinner with us tonight… remind me to call her and check in with her in the morning. She might as well move in to the house with all her belongings here", Izayoi ponders aloud. "You just like the idea that there is finally a girl around for you to bother. Nevertheless, I'll speak to Sesshoumaru about her in the morning. I understand the actions taken to avoid suspicion but a night without that girl at our table… well—dammit was pretty dull", InuTaisho grins. Finishing off their meal in solemn silence, the happily married elder Takahashis were unaware of the turmoil in their son's life.

* * *

The night ends and brings about a new day for the students and staff of Feudal High. What made this morning peculiar was the amount of fliers all over the school grounds of the upcoming talent competition. The top prize was a grant to the club of the winner's choice and a live broadcast of their performance on a late night television show.

"So why don't we do two group performances instead of one extravagantly planned thing and have the student body vote on which one they would want to win. Then we can make a proposal to the administrative staff to split the money on our extracurricular clubs", Kagura suggests to the gang. "Because it'll basically be me, Kagome, Rin, and Miroku against the rest of you guys simply because you don't like us. It's okay we don't like you either", Sango admits before getting her mouth covered by a sheepishly laughing Miroku. "Well we were going to suggest that be the grouping but since Tajiya feels that will be a completely unfair advantage, we can afford to give up a few more people to be represented", Kanna chimes in. "I volunteer to go to Kagome's group", Kouga speaks up.

"Like hell you will", InuYasha growls. Kikyo clears her throat before announcing, "As it was to be expected of you Kouga and I suppose Kags must also go to their side to keep you in line. Besides, even with the slight disadvantage in number, we have each club represented well enough and the majority of the student vote regardless. Good luck to you guys." "Psh… we'll see who wins", Rin mumbles to herself. "Onto the next issue, since we invited three new girls into our group, we need to revolutionize their look. I believe Kagura gave you your assignments", Yura announces.

"I feel in tuned with Ralph Lauren's Always Yours", Kagome proposes. "We can do that. It's a very soft and feminine look. Think bohemian rhapsody. Lots of pink lacy things with a few complimentary earth tones come to mind for your transformation", Kanna analyzes. "I was thinking of Vera Wang's Rock Princess", Rin follows. "Wow… Rin, right? I like the iniative you're taking into this project. You do understand the drastic change this will ensue?", Kagura asks. "I'm overdue for a few changes", Rin teases. "Okay, your makeover will be certainly a major project", Kagura confirms, tapping the glasses of the girl in question.

"Well I decided I really don't give a damn about what I turn out to be as long as I have a hand in it. So I didn't take the liberty in doing the extra homework", Sango mildly complains. "Well then you will receive anything that I decided to change you into and you will like it", Kagura retorts. "Says you", Sango mutters just as Miroku grabs hold of her hand, squeezing it slightly to silence her rebellious attitude. "Anywho, the transformation will be seen next week at the start of Champ Week—and since we have two of you guys from that dorky Show Choir, your assignments are something by Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus. In front of the entire cafeteria of course. Until then, I'll leave it to you girls to meet me early Saturday morning and then Sunday evening to do the little tricks with Yura and Kanna's assistance", Kagura finishes.

The school bell rings and the group disperse to head to their regular classes with the rest of the student body. Unbeknownst to Kagome, InuYasha was following her to her next class. "Um…", InuYasha begins, startling Kagome a bit as she awkwardly misses a step and stumbles. "Hey, InuYasha. What's wrong?" "I just want to thank you for everything you done for me. My grades have improved and when me and Kikyo celebrate our anniversary next week, I won't look foolish", InuYasha compliments. "It was a pleasure, InuYasha. Feel free to ask me for anything else", Kagome begins. "That's the thing. Since you were so good at helping me with another language I was wondering if you will do two things for me", InuYasha mutters.

"Okay, but hurry, I can't be late for my next class", Kagome pauses as she stands outside her classroom door. "One, would you help me with our homeroom, Calculus work. The bastard has been getting on my nerves and taunting my parents about that. I just need to knock him down a few pegs for now", InuYasha jokes. "And the other thing?" "Uh… Would you go to dinner with me this Friday?", he blushes. Kagome stands silently, in mild shock of the question he just voiced. "It's not a date. I just want to thank you appropriately and test my skills. And since you're part of my circle now I need to introduce you to the benefits of this world without the catty remarks from the ladies", he quickly mutters. "Well, then. Of course. Pick me up around 7?", Kagome dismisses as she receives a quick appreciative hug from the silver haired teen. With that, InuYasha swiftly pulls away and with a wave, walks away from the door and runs to his next class, his cheeks still enflamed while Kagome takes her seat with glaring eyes on her.

* * *

With this period being Kikyo's free period, she left the school building to meet up with an unnamed client. "Mr. H told me that I would be expecting you", the unnamed man speaks as he removes his hat and large overcoat, but kept on his dark shades. "Yes. I'm Kikyo Miko, heiress of the Miko Cosmetics fortune. I have a new proposition for him. One much greater than anything Naraku can offer him", Kikyo mutters as she ties her hair back into a low ponytail while removing her own dark shades. "Tell him, I need him to keep a spy on Naraku. In addition, I need him, to personally handle the knowledge of personal affairs in the Takahashi household. For this, I will entitle him to a share of the company and an extra 1.2 million will be wired into an account he can access. Later on, I will need him to take out a few people", she addresses accordingly, handing the unnamed client a large manila folder.

"I assure you, Mr. H, is pleased to do business with you", the unnamed client dismisses as he turns to leave the dark alley they were speaking in, revealing a few stray silver hairs under his dark wig. "Oh, and tell Mr. H that he should learn to be more careful about his identity. He may be hard to fight off but he's not hard to capture. Or should I tell him myself?", Kikyo speaks as she puts on her shades again while buttoning her dark pea coat. "You were always the wise one Kikyo. Despite, your looks", he comments. "I mean it, Hakudoshi, be careful. Time is of the essence", she concludes as she waits for him to exit the alley before leaving the dark and desolate scene a few moments later.


	11. Good Girls Gone Bad

**Good Girls Gone Bad**

The week finishes out for Feudal High school students with the normal drone of events. For our star characters, this week has been a trying one with the previous developments discovered in the prior chapter. Behind the scenes, Rin, not wishing to deal with the pain of losing her first love, decided to keep her issues to herself and focus more on her physical transformation while a psychological warfare erupted in her mind. Her only coping mechanism, her friends, were too worrisome about her rescinding behavior.

Kenshin Seiga, closer to the recovery stage with fewer withdrawal symptoms and relapses at the rehab center, gets occasional visits from his daughter but with Sesshoumaru no longer being her support system, she finds it harder to be optimistic after every visit. Eventually, Rin begins to hide away from her comrades, her father, and Sesshoumaru during the few classes she had to herself and met a pair of socially inept brothers, Ah &amp; Un, who introduced her to cigarettes. Immediately, she bonded with the duo as they served as a source of distraction from her ailing thoughts.

With the lessen contact with Sesshoumaru, she aptly mails the card back to him but agrees to keep the cash until she can find herself a part-time job before paying it back. Unknown to her, Sesshoumaru puts away the card and arranges to deposit any money Rin gives to him back into the private account he opened for her. During school hours, in her tactics to avoid the silver haired teacher, Rin typically finds the twin brothers. Drifting away from Sango and Kagome with their recent involvement with Feudal High's elite social clique, she hides away amongst the duo, taking part in silly pranks and spreading a bad girl reputation around the school as she begins taking on their slight drug addictions. In combination with her mixture of prescribed meds given to her for her trauma, the majority of her time on Feudal High's campus is spent intoxicated with fumes, cutting classes, and making a social outcast of herself.

With the general student body taking notice of the new members to Kikyo's posse, gossip spreads about scandalous acts and unseen things about the clique members but in a favorable light. With that being said, Kikyo definitely scored some more Yearbook Superlative titles as the student body begins to assign more friendly aspects to her character when compared to their interaction with Rin's character. Sesshoumaru, assigns himself to other students as an escort, now that Rin took it upon herself to avoid and neglect any form of his attention. Unfortunately, this makes things even more awkward at the Takahashi estate as Izayoi and InuTaisho continuously bribe Sesshoumaru to invite Rin over only to be met with an excuse or a stoic response.

Nevertheless, luckily, with the last of midterms comes a much needed winter recess. As the weekend calls forth, every student begins making plans for what to do during the break. Seniors have the Hawaiian senior trip to look forward to as the weather gets cooler. In addition, up for grabs was a late Ski trip to take place at the end of the recess. This was open to all students. However, aside from all this news, let's turn our attention back to our favorite characters on hand.

* * *

It's a Friday evening, and as promised, InuYasha arrives outside of Kagome's Shrine home to pick her up for their 'date'. Checking himself in his car mirror at the last moment, he smoothes over his denim jeans and dusts off his tight black t-shirt underneath his red hooded sweater. Finally, smiling at his appearance, he locks the car and walks up the steps to the home. But before he can even ring the doorbell, the front door swing opens to reveal Souta shouting, "Okay, mom! I'm heading over to Kohaku's now! I'll call when I get there!" and bumping into InuYasha's chest. "Hey kid, if you wait around for a little bit, I can give you a ride", InuYasha mutters. "Nah, I'll be alright enough to take care of myself. But thanks for the offer. Later man", Souta calls out as he rushes past InuYasha.

InuYasha shakes his head in amusement before walking into the house only to be greeted by Kagome's mother. "Oh, hello there. Just make yourself comfortable. Kagome should be down in a few minutes. "Thanks, Mrs. Higurashi", InuYasha quips as he makes his way over to the living room that Kaori directed towards. Taking a seat on the sofa, he didn't have to wait long until he comes face to face with a slightly polished Kagome. InuYasha stares dumbfounded, as he looks her over. Kagome wears a snug, backless, black halter dress adorned with petal like ruffles that fell just above her stocking covered knees. Black, short, caged heels adorned her feet, exposing her blue polished toenails through the sheer material. Her hair was slicked into a low ponytail to rest at the base of her neck and coming around the side of her neck. Finally, sheer pink lip-gloss dons her lips as one of the few make up attributes she knows how to wear.

"Wow. I guess I'm a bit overdressed. Just give me a moment and I'll go change into something more comfortable", Kagome begins, snapping InuYasha out of his reverie as he stands to greet her. "No, don't. You look amazing…. Besides. It'll help the rehearsal situation if you dress like Kikyo would on that night", InuYasha quickly dismisses. Taking in a deep breath, Kagome grabs a small purse before turning back to InuYasha to say, "I don't know if I should let that one comment ruin this evening for me or just chalk it up to your stupidity." "You know what I meant", InuYasha lightly teases as he leads Kagome to her front door. "I'll be back by curfew mom! Don't wait up", Kagome calls out upon closing the door behind her, mumbling, "Yeah, I was hoping you didn't mean it."

* * *

Meanwhile across town, with Sango's father away on a business trip, Miroku pays Kohaku an extra fifty bucks to allow him in the house to chill with his girlfriend while he continues to have his sleepover. Just as the two begin to get a little more comfortable on the living room sofa, the doorbell rings as a loud crash resonates through the house. Sango gives Miroku her puppy dog look to deal with the door as she goes to scream terror to her brother and his guest. Miroku glides over and opens the door to Kagome's kid brother. "Aren't you the creep my sister talks about that likes to hit on all the girls in the school? What are you doing at Sango's house?", Souta rudely greets as he pushes his way into the humble abode.

"I didn't know your sister spoke so fondly of me. I'm Miroku Houshi—", Miroku begins. Souta erupts into a fit of laughter. "Ha-ha, classic. Your surname translates to monks. And with a rep like yours, I'm just going to stay far away from you", Souta teases before dropping his sleeping bag at the foot of the staircase. "Like I was saying, Sango is my _girl_friend. And you can take your stuff upstairs to wherever Kohaku and his friend ran", Miroku dismisses before plopping himself back on the couch. "Sure, will do. But I need to phone my mom first so she can stop worrying. You think that with me going just down the street she will calm her nerves. But that's mothers for you" Souta rattles on before making his way to the well-known phone hanging in the kitchen.

Miroku simply shakes his head as he hears the end of Sango's yelling tirade. "CLEAN IT UP OR YOU TWO WILL FIND THE PIECES OF THAT VASE IN YOUR PIZZA WHEN IT ARRIVES!", she calls out as she makes her way down the stairs from the kitchen way. Upon passing the small counter space, she pats Souta's shoulder before taking hold of the phone, as if on cue, and greeting Kaori. "Hey Mrs. H, Souta's arrived safe and sound and I already gave him a look over for any nasty bumps and bruises out of the ordinary. He'll give you a call good night before I force them to sleep", Sango jeers. Kaori chuckles as she replies, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle the boys tonight, Sango? I can easily have them come over and you can have the house to yourself." "As nice as that sounds, I don't mind besides you always hosting sleepovers at your house Mrs. H. Take the night off. With Jiji out for Bingo as well, who knows the next time you'll get your peace and quiet. But I'll hold you on that offer when my dad takes another out of town trip", Sango jokes as she shoos Souta away.

"Okay. Take care, Sango. Remember to give me a holler if anything happens with those monsters. Good night, hun. And no shenanigans with that boy tonight", Kaori teases. "Um… Mrs. H… d-don't be silly…", Sango stumbles. "Don't worry, I won't tell your father. But keep whatever goes on between the two of you, PG-13", Kaori finishes before ending the call. Sango was left blushing mildly as she placed the receiver back on the wall. Before she can turn around and head towards the living room, strong arms circle around her torso as soft lips begin kissing the nape of her neck. "Miroku…", Sango breathes. "Sometimes I find it irresistible to keep my hands off of you, my dear Sango", Miroku whispers softly between his kisses.

Sango turns in his grip to bring herself to face him as her arms make their way up to lie against his shoulders. "I told you to wait until the boys are at least in their sleeping bags, Miroku. Then you can have a little fun before I kick you out", Sango tsks. "What if I don't leave willingly?" "Then, you have to face my wrath", Sango kids as she brings her lips to his in a tantalizing, slows kiss. The doorbell rings again just as Miroku moves in for another kiss. Sango pulls away, running to answer the doorbell with Miroku, unknowingly trailing behind her. Swinging open the door, Sango hands the deliveryman the money as he hands over the boxes of pizza. "How much change do you want back ma'am?", the delivery guy remarks upon taking out the side dish boxes from his satchel.

"Uh… Excuse me for a moment", Sango mutters as she swings around to smack Miroku's hand away from her behind. "Keep the change", she sneers as she kicks the door shut behind her and charges towards the kitchen with Miroku still in tow. "I swear sometimes, you're hands have a mind of their own! Until they can learn to be controlled, you get the same curfew as them!", Sango shouts at her boyfriend. "But Sango, I told you how irresistible…", was all he got to mutter as his hands begin their trek and he ends up on the ground after being kneed from Sango. "DINNER'S HERE!" , Sango calls out to the boys upstairs.

* * *

InuYasha and Kagome sit at the very back of an exclusive French restaurant, inside of a private booth. Their waiter takes away the last of their plates as the young 'couple' continues their conversation. "That was very good, InuYasha. This has been by far the greatest improvement I've seen from someone who didn't even know the language a couple of months ago", Kagome praises. "Eh bien, j'ai un très bon professeur", InuYasha coos. "Non, j'ai un très bon élève", Kagome chimes in return. "Je ne savais pas une jeune fille peut manger beaucoup et toujours aussi belle tous les jours. Quand je suis avec Kikyo, elle est trop modeste quand il s'agit de nourriture", InuYasha jests. "Tu ferais mieux de ne pas m'appeler gras", Kagome teases before joining in laughter with InuYasha.

"I swear only you can get away with calling me beautiful and fat in the same breath. But enough French. You've proven yourself well enough for the night. Let's just hang out", Kagome sighs as she leans forward in her seat. InuYasha lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he tries to turn his gaze away from the beautiful girl in front of him. "_What is wrong with me? It's not like I don't know what an ugly duckling she is in reality… but I guess she makes up for it by cleaning up well… a little too well_", he mentally confirms as he flashes a smirk at Kagome as a silence falls between them.

"Are you as bored as I am right now?", Kagome yawns. "Ready to blow this place?" "Only if you let me pick the next place we go. I promise you, it's in walking distance", Kagome gleams as she bounces out of her seat. With a slight signal, InuYasha calls the waiter over to pay their bill as Kagome opens her purse. InuYasha's hand reaches over the table and clamps over the contents of said pocketbook. "This is my treat", InuYasha sternly dictates. "But I thought we agreed this was a friendly outing. So in cases of friendly outings, I like to split the bill", Kagome retorts just as sternly. InuYasha pulls the purse towards him, as Kagome shouts her protest. "You let this bill go or this outing is over", he begins to growl. Kagome smirks before leaning into InuYasha's face, barely crawling on the table as she seethes, "I'm not afraid of you. Go bully someone on your own time."

InuYasha takes the bait and leans in dangerously close as well as he grabs Kagome's body and swings her out of her seat and over his shoulder, slightly hitching up the dress she was wearing. As Kagome continues to shriek in protest, InuYasha grabs her purse and slips money into the checkbook before proceeding to drag her out of the restaurant. "Come on, InuYasha! I don't exactly like having my ass in the air, you know! LET ME DOWN!", Kagome raves just as InuYasha begins a tickling tirade against the back of her knees, causing her shouting to erupt in laughter as they made their way out onto the street. InuYasha finally stops as they stand outside his car. "Okay, okay I am conquered! But at least put me down so I can lead us to where my favorite place is!"

Taking the moment to place the girl down, InuYasha ducks in time as she playfully takes a swing at his arms. Chuckling at her antics, he was taken by surprise at the feel of her warm fingers threading through his and pulling him along to follow her. It wasn't before long that Kagome stops in her tracks and lets go of InuYasha's hand. "So no one knows about this place. And I will appreciate if stays that way. It's a secret place for me to run to whenever I just feel down. So you should take pride that I'm sharing it with an idiot like you", Kagome teases as she opens the secret latch on the doorway of the abandon building.

Before InuYasha knew it, Kagome runs inside, leaving the door cracked open for InuYasha to follow. "Well, what are you waiting for? I'm not going to jump you… The door isn't going to bite…", she calls out from within. Taking a deep breath after convincing himself that Kagome wasn't trying to seduce him, InuYasha steps inside the building, closing the door behind him as he turns back around to face the sights before him in awe. "What is this place?", he mutters while still starstruck. "It's an observatory. My dad used to bring me here when I was little and we would stare at all the stars in the sky. There used to be a huge telescope here but it fell apart during one of those flash storms. My dad forgot to close up the sky roof when we were done here. But I still like coming here to look at the stars", Kagome explains as she takes a seat on one of the old pairs of bleachers available.

As the two stare up at the clear, star filled, winter sky, a welcoming silence envelops them. InuYasha merely glances down to see Kagome shiver slightly, with her arms exposing goose bumps to the night air. Nonchalantly taking off his red sweater, he drapes it onto Kagome's shoulder as she hides her bewilderment while he takes a seat next to her. "InuYasha", she whispers. "Hm?" "Is it all really worth it? By this time next week… we'll be the same status in school. The perks Yura informed us are awesome but… you don't seem happy. Why do you even like being popular?", Kagome lightly questions. InuYasha gives her a look but seeing as she was so lost in her own space, he save his attitude and instead chose to answer earnestly. "I don't remember ever choosing to be popular. It sorta just happened when I came to Feudal High. You remember your freshman year don't you? I was just another rich nobody that no one talked to but then Kikyo sorta change that. I apologize for how she treated you from the first day she arrived. But I guess you're lucky cause you got to meet Sango out of that. And at the end my junior year, she even made you guys meet Rin", InuYasha rambles on.

"Although I think that's a load of bull, I guess I can see what makes you such a likeable guy to her. Even when she's in the wrong, you jump to her defense. Sometimes I wish you weren't so popular, then you wouldn't put up this façade and people wouldn't just bow down and kiss your feet. Everyone will know you have a heart", Kagome whispers. "I don't want to be seen as a wimp to everyone. Besides, it's not like it would hurt me to be nice every once in a while. It paid off for you, didn't it", he jokes as he catches Kagome's eye and shrugs her over. Kagome leans into his shoulder, resting her head against the crook of his neck as his arm wraps around her own shoulders, soothingly rubbing the sweater to give her warmth. "Although you like to stick your foot in your mouth sometimes, I'm glad to have you as my friend, InuYasha", Kagome mutters as she smiles lightly at him.

"_Damn… why was that so erotic… Aw man… I want to kiss her right now… but Kikyo…_", InuYasha mentally chastises as he slowly rises to his feet, pulling Kagome up along the way. "So how about we head back now. Besides, I'm sure you want to get enough rest to be able to hold Tajiya down during Kaze's makeover", InuYasha jokes as Kagome leads the way out towards the door. "Yeah, and I'm anxious to look like the next school bitch. Oh, wait… my bad, you're already dating her", she calls out as InuYasha chases her back to his car.

* * *

"Now kiss me good night", Kagura orders Sesshoumaru as he walks her to her front door. "Have this Sesshoumaru not fulfilled the requirements for the events of tonight to your bias?", he calmly voices. "Is that whining I hear from the infamous ice king? Now do it! Unless you want your precious princess to be not only the school's whore but the media's whore as well", Kagura seethes before lightly tiptoeing to grip the back of Sesshoumaru's head, pulling him into a smearing kiss.

Sesshoumaru immediately pulls away after counting to five in his head (as was drafted in the terms of acceptable interactions between the two) "You know, this Sesshoumaru is willing to aid you in attaining liberty from Mr. Hihi. You did not have to compel my hand by threatening Ms. Seiga", he jeers. "I also know that unless she was at risk herself, you would have simply shared the details with her. I can't risk her knowing about this. For now, she just knows that you broke her heart but for what reason… I hope she never will have to learn that", Kagura sympathizes.

"Why is it that you cannot simply rely on Ms. Miko's declaration and her support?", Sesshoumaru ponders aloud. "It's not that I can't trust Kikyo, but I'm sure she has her own agenda with Naraku. Kikyo's ruthless nature sometimes makes her forget her other responsibilities. So in the end, I'm adding insurance to the welfare of me and my cousin Kanna", Kagura explains. "As long as all verification of our encounter will be destroyed as prearranged", Sesshoumaru dismisses. "Yes. After I'm guaranteed my freedom. I'm sure Naraku won't just call off our engagement for any sort of infidelity. However, if it was with someone of a higher standard and that I can cause less of a scandal with… I'm sorry you were the only immediate choice", she confirms as she watches the ice king walk away from her front door.

Turning back to her home, she enters to quickly shut the door behind her as the she listens to the Bugatti drive away. Pacing back, away from the window, she bumps into an unexpected visitor. "Hello Kagura, you seem to have had a good night out", Naraku seethes. "Who let you in here?" Kagura was taken aback when Naraku's clammy hands begin to wrap around her throat, playfully squeezing as she stills her movement. "Uh-uh-uh. Lest you forget, Kagura. You belong to me, so everything you think is yours is entitled to me. Yes, I let myself into _my_ home. I was just checking on the surroundings and I discovered poor little Kanna all alone. Luckily, you came back ever so quickly. Mind telling me who that was that escorted you home?", he taunts finally releasing Kagura's throat. "No one, Naraku. Good thing you came, I needed to discuss the terms of our arrangement. But if you are on your way, I suppose it can wait", she breathes as she carefully rubs the finger indentations in her neckline, backing away from the front door.

"Yes, I suppose I'll be on my way". "Oh, and Naraku, before you insinuate anything about anyone, it's no secret about the affair you have with Kikyo", Kagura mumbles. "I'm aware. However, are you willing to risk the reputation of our silly InuYasha with his beloved Kikyo? That's the only thing stopping you from going to the press. Oh and the fact you have no proof of what you claim, as do anyone else", he gloats. Turning her back to the pale boy, Kagura merely waves off Naraku's last commentary as she leaves him to let himself out while she rushes up the staircase.

Taking cue, Naraku begins chuckling as he mentally confirms, "_As well as it is no secret to me what you're doing with Sesshoumaru, Kagura. It's okay. I'll continue the charade only to have it backfire on you_". Making his way out the house, he locks the door behind him before walking a couple blocks down the road to his parked black Durango. Starting the car, he gets in with a new manipulative plot in his mind.

* * *

Saturday morning brought Sango, Kagome, Rin, and Kagura sitting in the center of the town's shopping mall, dressed in very casual clothing. The usual trio of Sango, Kagome and Rin wore an assortment of t-shirts and jeans underneath their favorite coats and adorned with comfortable nonlabeled sneakers. The trio left their hair in simple low ponytails. Rin's being the biggest, and puffiest of the ponytails with her raven curly locks, Sango's being the most slick of ponytails with her dark brown straight long hair, and Kagome being the most simple with her raven locks turning slightly wavy with the wind. Kagura however wore a simple white dress with a closed mandarin collar accompanying a red floral pattern across the dress. Black tights peeked out from underneath and simple white flats completed her look as her hair was thrown into its normal bun.

After having a short snack, and purchasing the entitled new fragrances, with Kagura choosing Valentino's Rock N Roses for Sango, the girls met inside of the uniform outlet inside of the mall. "What are we doing here? I'm sure we have plenty of school uniforms for the rest of this year", Sango questions. "Are you aware of the school rules concerning the dress code, Tajiya?", Kagura ignores the remark. "Yeah, but I still don't see why we're here." "Well, the dress code has a lot of limitations but there are many ways the student body can cut around it if they observe the rules closely. Although yes our skirts look very short when arriving to the building, it is indeed in protocol. All skirts must be at most 3 inches above the knee or reveal no more than 2 inches of skin. See where I'm going with this?", Kagura instructs. "I believe I'm starting to", Kagome chimes. "Okay, so the school allows skirts to be 5 inches above the knee in actual reality and we just show only an inch or two of skin with decorative tights", Kagura explains.

"So how does this contribute towards our transformation?", Rin ponders aloud. "I'm going to start with you since you're the biggest change for me. You're a sophomore so let's stick to things that will go with red. You know those short sleeve shirts you usually wear underneath your drabby sweater? Let's get rid of the sweater and keep the shirts of course. You have a serious rack and slight curves but you're short so you need to keep either your top or bottom very short to lengthen you out to look desirable", Kagura begins as Kagome and Sango follow close behind with curiosity. "First off, you're going to purchase this long red neck tie, a few of them as a matter of fact. Then we're going to head over to the leggings section. The longer the tie, the better", Kagura continues as she begins throwing on a short-sleeved white blouse over Rin's t-shirt, leaving the first couple of buttons undone.

"Um… won't I be cold without my arms covered. It's pretty much winter and I don't really want to get sick in the name of fashion", Rin complains, handing Kagura the appropriate tie, nearly her height in length as Kagura folds the tie and knots it loosely around Rin's neck. "Grab a few of those black and white arm warmers and that problem is solved, wear them right up to the hilt of your sleeves if you want", Kagura dismisses as she finishes picking and preening at Rin. "There, and no more tucking in your shirts, it just makes you seem stuffy. Go change into this skirt and I'll judge the results", Kagura instructs as she circles Rin while looking for outfit flaws. As Rin grabs a shorter skirt then she was used to from off the rack, Kagome and Sango follow Kagura to the leggings section as she picks out a collection of decorative white and a few black tights for Rin to wear.

Ten minutes later, Rin exits the dressing room wearing the uniform look that Kagura laid out for her, awkwardly squirming at the feel of the cool air brushing against her thin arms and legs. "I can't wait to get those glasses off of you—the punk look suits you. As for shoe wear, try to stick to flat foot shoes. Heels can be done but only if they match your tights", Kagura informs. "But won't my feet freeze?" "Wear leg warmers if necessary. Besides, one of the perks of being in the group is that there is always someone around to drive you", Kagura dismisses as she grabs hold of Kagome to begin her transformation, leaving Sango with Rin to wait for the girl to change out of the ensemble. "I'll admit it actually looks good on you Rin, reminds me a lot of a busty version of Avril Lavigne", Sango compliments. "I guess, but wait until Kagura pulls and tugs at you, San… that I'll enjoy", Rin giggles as she comes out of the changing room. "Come on, let's go save Kagome from an overload of snippy commentary from Kagura", Sango teases as she pulls Rin along to meet up with the other two.

Two hours later, Kagura waits outside of the custom uniform store as Kagome, Sango, and Rin made their purchases. Kagome's new look included tighter fitting, suspender strapped school jumpers to accentuate her lithe frame, wide thighs and apple shaped bottom. Along with black stockings and a few open cut vest from the male section. Keeping in mind that Kagome had a very thin model like body; Kagura took advantage with the close fit. She also purchases knee length designer looking boots, preferably slouchy to cut out the length of her legs.

Sango's altered look included female cut blazers with light shoulder pads, a couple of school shorts and skorts with loads of decorative, fishnet-styled leggings. Sango also purchases short booties and pumps to finish her look and thin out the muscle definition in her thighs. Happy yet anxious with their purchases, the girls walked out of store to meet up with Kagura. "Now that you have the look and the essence of your transformation, we have to do something with your hair. So take as many pictures as you want because after tomorrow night, you'll be an entire new person. Yura and Kanna would meet you guys to teach you hair tricks and managements later. For now, I bid you farewell", Kagura dismisses, leaving the trio to finally let out the breath they were holding.

"Sango, you truly shocked me!", Kagome giggles as soon as Kagura was out of sight. "Psh—that was a piece of cake. Just had to remind myself that she's a hateful bitch who just jealous of my awesome body", Sango teases. "I knew it was too good to be true!", Rin laughs as Miroku appears outside of the mall's main entrance to pick the girls up. "You're one to talk, you almost chewed her head off when she kept talking about your boobs", Sango snips. "Someone your size better start flaunting what she has", Kagome mocks Kagura's tone as Miroku greets the girls. "Let me guess, Kagura made you girls aware of just how sexy you can be without clothes", Miroku jokes upon seeing a vein throb on Sango's forehead.

Laughter dies amongst the trio as Rin hands Miroku their bags with a nervous laugh, "I'm not sure that was the safest time to make that joke", before slipping into the back passenger seat next to Kagome. A look of confusion crosses Miroku's face as he climbs in and starts his car with every passenger in their appropriate spots. As they drive down the road, it wasn't before long that Sango's shrilling scream of profanity filled the car in anger as Kagome and Rin laugh at her banter. Miroku, suffering the full effects of his girlfriend's potty mouth, sheepishly smiles on the drive home.

* * *

Later, during that Saturday evening, InuYasha picks up and drives Kikyo to their anniversary date. After all the fine dining and the surprising commentary on the usage of both InuYasha's and Kikyo's language skills, the couple ends their evening on the loveseat chaise in Kikyo's bedroom, idly watching a romantic comedy while snuggled together. "Who would've thought that the snobby brat I met during one of my dad's social gatherings will grow up to be a beautiful woman and the love of my life", InuYasha mutters seductively against Kikyo's ear. "I love you too, Inu but you're not going to get into my pants tonight", Kikyo coos, kissing his jaw lightly. "Who said anything about me wearing them? I just want you out of them", he replies, his fingers running down her arm.

The couple meets in a heated, passionate kiss as their bodies begin to thrust against each other. "Kikyo…", he breathes as he pulls away from their kiss, bringing her body endearingly closer to his. "InuYasha… not tonight", Kikyo mumbles as she ceases his roaming hands. "Kikyo, I'm sorry, but it's been forever since we… fucked", InuYasha whines between kisses. "Yes, but InuYasha there's something I need to talk to you about first. It concerns our future as a matter of fact", she diverts as the two part ways to sit comfortably on the couch. "First off, I need you to be honest. A couple of weeks ago, after the incident with that Higurashi girl, you've been spending a lot of time away from me. And it sucks that we don't even have time to be together anymore but somehow you always find time to study with her—", she begins. "Kikyo…"

"And time to even stay and eat dinner with her family… I know you two are friends but… there's no chance you have any feelings for her, right?", she finishes, casually playing with her long raven hair. "Kagome—Higurashi… she's nothing more than a very good friend. She replaced Miroku when he was gone and I guess now that he's back, I still don't want to part with her. I mean, she's genuine… down to earth and she talks to me like an equal… gives me a view of life on the other side", InuYasha calmly replies."And this Monday she'll be one of us… so you'll stop hanging around her so much?", Kikyo frowns. "…It doesn't work that way—", he begins again. "But that doesn't answer my question, Inu."

"How about you answer mines first? The same one I asked over dinner. I thought maybe my French wasn't too good and the question sounded wrong but I'll ask it again. What made you fall for me?", InuYasha questions as he stares Kikyo down with a harsh gaze. Looking into his golden orbs, Kikyo slowly watches as the gaze softens to one she's more comfortable with. But before she can answer, a knock on her door cuts the tension between the two. Slowly getting up to answer the door, Kikyo lets out the breath she didn't know she was holding, but quickly intakes it when she opens the door to Naraku. "I'll be right with you, go wait in the study", she whispers quickly before shutting the door behind her. Turning back around, she nearly runs into InuYasha's chest. "You look like you just seen a ghost. Who is that that you sent away?", he asks. "One of my father's business partners. I forgot about a conference I was supposed to have and I didn't have time to reschedule… I'm sorry, Inu. But can't we continue this conversation later", she begs lightly.

"How much later is later?", he groans. "How about during the party we're throwing to introduce the new girls to the student body before the senior trip next week?" "You know we won't have any alone time with all our friends here, Kikyo", he grunts. "I'll make time, Inu. Now, just let this go and kiss me good night", she dismisses as she points her toes a bit rise up and seductively kiss her betrothed. InuYasha pulls away first as a look of confusion mars his face, slowly shaking his head in disapproval before leaving the room.

Kikyo runs to her window, awaiting the sign of InuYasha leaving her home and getting into his car. She stays at the window until she could see the red Ferrari drive away into the night. Stepping out of the room, she was quickly bombarded by the presence of the taller, pale skin, classmate. "What's your problem? Who do you think you are coming in here on my anniversary?", she nearly yells in anger. "What deal have you made with Kagura?", Naraku seethes. "What business is that of yours?" "Lest you forget dear Kikyo. This is my operation, and my circus. I will know of and rule everything going on around me, there's no way around it", he continues as he backs Kikyo into the corner of the doorframe. "So what is it going to be Kikyo? Alliance with me, or your very last breath." Before Kikyo can reply, a blade is pulled out and placed against her lips. "I will think before making the next answer, it can be your last", he mutters in threat.

"You're bluffing", Kikyo whispers calmly as she pulls the blade away from her lips to kiss his. Although still at first, she continues pressing her body against his in a deeper invasion, until she hears the telltale signs of his aroused groan and sound of the blade dropping to a soft clink on the carpeted hallway floor. "Don't think you can always use your charms against me", he breathes as he pulls away from her kiss and peers up at the hallway camera.

"I don't think. I know. You, Naraku Hihi are never going to lay an evil hand against me… especially in full view of the cameras in my own house", Kikyo taunts as she pushes herself away from him. "I will find out if you're trying to double cross me, you know that don't you Kikyo. And then you'll suffer the same punishment as Kagura", he seers before whisking himself out of the room and quickly out of the house. "_The thing is… I intend for you to never find out, Naraku_", is Kikyo's final thought as she heads in the opposite direction and further into her home.

* * *

Sunday night came and went as Sango and Rin chose to sleep over at Kagome's house, shocked at their new hairstyles done in Yura's family owned hair salon. Kagome had her dark hair very lightly bleached and tinted into a deep chestnut color before being trimmed and blown out into cascading layers, resting just past her shoulders. Her bangs were flattened, fluffed and cut bluntly to give off a wispy effect against her groomed eyebrows. Sango's hair was bleached from her deep chocolate hues to a reddish undertone and then dyed to an auburn color with dark streaks blended throughout to give some depth to her hair. Her once thick eyebrows were plucked to a delicate arch to compliment the off-centered part to her hair. Finally, Rin's hair was the biggest change as her once curly, raven colored locks were bleached to a honey blonde colored, and straightened so that it lay in a blanket around her body and ended at her waist. Her bangs were blown out and squared off to give her face the doll look her body was built like.

She blinks rapidly as she tries to adjust to the rush-ordered contacts Kanna was able to attain for her. The trio stood in Kagome's full-length mirror mounted on the wall next to her bedroom door, staring at their changed looks. "This is crazy… We look like total strangers!", Kagome squeals running her fingers through her head. "And we look amazing… we went from girl next door cute to celebrity hot…", Sango agrees, pinching her skin. "I almost died of laughter when your grandpa tried to baptize you…", Rin snorts. "Jiji did go a bit far when he started bringing out the incense. Ugh… what is he going to do tomorrow when we try to leave in our new uniform?", Kagome sighs. "I already thought of that. We could easily wear our old skirts over our new ones and change out of them once we get passed Sango's house. But tomorrow is going to be cold so we better walk fast", Rin warns.

"About that—those guys you've been hanging around lately… rumor has it… they're not exactly safe… are you sure you should be around them?", Kagome casually questions, placing her hair into a tight ponytail. "Ah and Un are the last people I would find threatening. They just like to… party hard. They're really nice… a bunch of wimps if you asked me. But the one with the mismatched eyes, Ah, he has a great singing voice. And the one with the green Mohawk, Un, he bats for the other team and doesn't care who knows it. If anything, their reputation is worse than they are. And there's this new kid, Shouta—never caught his last name. He's some out of town freshman who has a girlfriend and he's the one you guys should be worrying about. I swear his flirting is worse than Houshi's", Rin babbles as she tries to put in the black clip in extensions, Yura gave her against her head.

"Okay… it'll be nice to meet them then. You know let us decide for ourselves if they're all around good guys. You're like the only girl around them…", Sango begins to worry. "Yeah, Ah and Un wanted to but Shouta isn't too keen on meeting you guys. Something about ruining your rep", Rin dismisses. "But—", Kagome interrupts. "As for myself—I'm Feudal High's party queen. Therefore, it doesn't hurt me to be associated with them. I checked with Kagura just in case. Now will you guys stop worrying and talk about something else", Rin pouts as her friends give each other a look before dropping the topic.

"Sure… Rin. What's been going on? You've been awol since… well since Sesshoumaru broke things off with you", Sango frowns. "Yeah, we hardly see you outside of homeroom calc", Kagome mumbles. "I'm transitioning into different classes… It's not like we can't get a team of lowlifes to do the work for us…", Rin explains. "Lowlifes?", Sango snorts. "Yeah, lowlifes. This is it ladies. We rose up the food chain. Now it's time to devour the spoils." "But Rin—", Kagome starts again only to let the though die with a glare from the girl in question. "All of this, just to get away from one guy…", Sango scoffs. "No. All of this to show everyone and myself that I'm bigger than life. Look—it's not as if I'm hurting anyone. Can we just drop it and go to bed—please?" "Considered it dropped—", Kagome snips as she turns out the light in her room.

* * *

The next morning, upon arriving at the school gates, the trio turned everyone's heads as the student body tried to figure out who the new girls were. It wasn't until the ladies reached their first period class together that the entire room falls silent except for the cheers from the people responsible for their transformation. Kagura, Kanna, and Yura applaud collectively as Sesshoumaru, InuYasha, Miroku, Naraku, and even Kikyo stared wide-eyed at the new versions of Kagome, Sango, and Rin. Miroku walks up to Sango and drools over her new look. Sango wears a dark green blazer over a partially unbuttoned school blouse with her matching tie knotted very loosely around her collar. Instead of her normal school skirt, she wears a dark green pair of shorts over opaque black stockings and with shiny black pumps. Her auburn hair was styled into a rockabilly inspired Mohawk with her the sides of her hair slicked back with pins and her crown teased.

Immediately Miroku's hand begin to wander to her rear end, but Sango stops him in his tracks as her hand shoots out to squeeze his. "Good morning, Houshi. How nice of you to want to lead me to my seat", she diverts as Miroku snaps out of his reverie with a smile hiding the pain of his hand being gripped with intensity. The couple walk over to their seats as the class got a better look of the next transformed model. Kagome wears a dark green uniform jumper tailored to fit like suspenders over her white blouse. The skirt of the jumper was slim fitted into a pencil cut, ended just a few inches above her knees to reveal a good amount of her white stockings as her normally small chest appears slightly larger with the tight fit of the jumper over her thin body. Her blouse dons her usual green tie, tied appropriately to reveal no extra expanse of skin. A cropped, black denim jacket covered her arms. She completes the look with black slouched boots and her chestnut locks styled into an intricate braided updo.

As Kagome takes her seat beside Sango, she leaves Rin to be gawked at by the entire class, with a coughing Sesshoumaru. Rin wears a black, fitted pageboy cap over her honey blonde hair, as it blanketed around her waist. Her short-sleeved blouse was untucked with a few buttons opened to reveal a pale shot of cleavage. A loosely knotted red tie, saved her modesty as her arms were covered with black and white striped fingerless gloves. Her red uniform skirt was shorter than normal to reveal the decorative white lace leggings she wears. Black and white Converses completed her look as she strides to her seat next to Kagome. The bell rings, signaling the beginning of class as Ms. Baba enters the room to take her seat next to the teacher's assistant. Immediately she scans the classroom and immediately lands her eyes on Rin. "Ms. Seiga, you know no nontraditional headwear is allowed in the school building", Ms. Baba points out.

Quickly removing the cap from her head, Rin lightly shakes out her thick mane and ruffles her bangs out of the temporary hat hair. The remaining boys in the class ogled Rin's new look as she takes out her belongings and begins her usual routine. "Good morning class, today I would be handing you the results of your midterms. Any students with a score below 70 percent would be required to return the midterm with a parent/guardian signature followed up by a meeting. Mr. Takahashi if you would", Ms. Baba calls out as she hands the workbook packets to Sesshoumaru. Walking up the aisles and handing back each set of test papers accordingly, Sesshoumaru stops at Rin's seat, giving her a pointed look before handing her results to her. "Ms. Seiga. Even though you just made it past the margin, this is your lowest score", he announces.

"I was not focused during the test, Mr. Takahashi but it was my best effort", Rin retorts, sighing a breath of relief at the circled 72 percentage on the front page. "Well don't let it happen again Ms. Seiga. You're a wonderful student and I would hate for result like this to pull down your grades", Ms. Baba warns. "Maybe it's because I'm not good enough for some people…", Rin mumbles under her breath as her comrades give her worried looks. "Excuse me, Ms. Seiga?", Sesshoumaru calls out as he was already three seats down the row. "Nothing, Mr. Takahashi…", she gently smiles as she takes out the weekend assignment to turn in. "Ms. Seiga, you are to remain after class so we can discuss your behavior…", Sesshoumaru instructs. "I have somewhere to be, Mr. Takahashi", she tries to evade. "It would only be a moment of your time, Ms. Seiga", he dismisses, ignoring Rin slumping in her seat.

* * *

The class continues without further incident as the sound of the school bell brings the end of the period. Without waiting around, Rin waves off her friends and dips out of class before anyone can stop her. Kagome and Sango give each a look as they leave the class following the gathering of Kikyo as part of her posse now. Quickly shuffling about to their lockers, the group parts way with Sango after walking her to her gym class, garnering the attention of the surrounding student body with more gawks at her new look before collectively heading to their French class. After changing into her gym clothes for a round of indoor volleyball, Sango looks around for Rin only to be met with an empty locker room. "_That's the eighth time this past couple of weeks since she's been AWOL. I just hope Mr. Jenki doesn't—_", she starts to mentally contemplate before said teacher calls Sango aside.

"Ms. Tajiya, have you seen Ms. Seiga?" At Sango's silence, the balding, round belly, black track suit wearing gym teacher tsks as he fills out a form and hands it to her. "If you happen to see Ms. Seiga, tell her one more absence would result in a meeting with the Dean. She doesn't have to participate as much as the other students but she can at least make an effort to show up…", he grunts before turning his attention to setting up the net. Sango folds up the form and reaches into her sweatshirt to insert it in her sports bra. "_Maybe she'll show up after this…_", she begrudgingly ponders before joining the rest of the girls in the class for a warm-up stretch.

Meanwhile on the other side of the building and in the corner of a stairwell just a flight under the rooftop entrance, Rin sits with Ah and Un, taking pulls of a rolled up blunt as the trio talk about trivial things. "I got to admit, Seiga. You look hot. If I went that way, I'll be all over you", Un laughs. "Too bad, you're not the one she wants…", Ah snips before receiving a mild punch in his arm. "Shut up… you guys don't even know what you're talking about", Rin mumbles as she exhales a puff of smoke and passes the blunt to Un. "Come on, the signs are all there. Saying you feel ugly even though, you're so goddamn adorable. Getting extra awkward whenever Shouta mentions his girlfriend. And you mentioned some mystery guy a couple weeks ago. I figured this look was to get that guy to notice you", Ah explains. "Well… even if he notices me—our relationship was pretty… intense. We can't be together because it'll hurt me", Rin sighs.

"Damn… what did he do, Rin?", Un asks as he coughs a bit, passing the blunt to Ah. "I don't want to talk about it…", she whispers. Finishing the last of the narcotic, Ah pulls out the guitar from the case he constantly carries and gives Rin a look. "Want to sing about it?" "What if someone hears us?", Rin worries. "Come on, you need a release. And don't even try to deny it because your hands are still shaking. I'll even join you so if anyone comes up here we can say we were helping you practice", Un chimes in as Rin takes a deep breath and begins humming the tune to Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie Part II". With Ah quickly picking out the right chords, he tunes his guitar to the sound of Rin's voice as she starts.

"_On the first page, of our story… the future seemed, so bright…then this thing, turned out, so evil… I don't know, why I'm, still surprised…_", she begins as tears form in her eyes. "_Even angels… have… their, wicked schemes… and you take that… to new extremes… but you'll always, be my hero… even though, you've lost, your mind…_", she sings as Ah picks up the tempo. "_Just gonna—stand there, and watch me burn… but that's all right, because I like—the way it hurts…just gonna—stand there, and hear me cry… but that's all right, because I love—the way you lie… I love, the way you lie… Oh… I love, the way you lie…_" Slowing down the tempo of the song again, the trio ignores the sound of approaching footsteps as Rin continues singing. "_Now there's gravel… in our voices… glass is shattered, from… the fight… in this tug of war… you'll always win… even when… I'm right…'cause you feed me, fables… from your, hand… with violent, words… and empty, threats… and it's sick that, all these battles… are what keeps me… satisfied…_" Picking up the tempo again, Ah plays as Rin allows her tears to fall.

"_Just gonna—stand there, and watch me burn… but that's all right, because I like—the way it hurts…just gonna—stand there, and hear me cry… but that's all right, because I love—the way you lie… I love, the way you lie… Oh… I love, the way you lie… Oh…_" Taking a deep breath, Rin gingerly wipes her mascaraed eyes as she gathers herself. "_So maybe, I'm… a masochist… I try to, run… but I don't wanna… ever leave… 'til the, walls… are going, up… in smoke, with all… our memories…_" Un stands up and begins rapping under his breath as Ah takes a break in playing chords to continue the beat by banging the wall. "_It's morning, you wake, a sun ray hits your face… smeared makeup, as we lay in the wake of destruction… hush baby, speak softly, tell me you're awfully sorry…that you pushed me, into the coffee table last night… so I can push you off me…_", Un starts before continuing in harsh tones.

"_Try and touch me, so I can scream at you not to touch me… run out the room, and I'll follow you like a lost puppy… baby, without you I'm nothing, I'm so lost, hug me… then tell me how ugly I am, but that you'll always love me… then after that, shove me, in the aftermath of the… destructive path that we're on, two psychopaths but we… know that no matter, how many knives we put in each other's backs… that we'll have each other's backs, 'cause we're that lucky… together, we move mountains, let's not make mountains out of molehills, you hit me twice, yeah, but who's counting? I may have hit you three times, I'm starting to lose count… but together, we'll live forever, we found the youth fountain… our love is crazy, we're nuts, but I refuse counseling… this house is too huge, if you move out I'll burn all two thousand… square feet of it to the ground, ain't shit you can do about it… 'cause with you I'm in my fucking mind, without you I'm out it…_", he finishes before retaking his seat against the stairs and allowing Rin and Ah to finish out the medley of the song.

"_Just gonna—stand there, and watch me burn… but that's all right, because I like—the way it hurts…just gonna—stand there, and hear me cry… but that's all right, because I love—the way you lie… I love, the way you lie… I love, the way you lie…_", she sings as Ah suddenly stops playing and stands up with Un at attention. Rin keeps her head down as she finishes the last words of the song, "_I love, the way you lie…_", she mutters before looking up and mirroring the actions of her friends at the presence of the stranger. "Ms. Seiga, why are you not in attendance in your current class," Sesshoumaru glares. "We were just practicing our—", Ah begins to stammer only to be cut short from Sesshoumaru stern gaze.

"Before you insult my intelligence with whatever babble you are about to spew from your lips, this Sesshoumaru would advise the two of you to disappear unless you wish to join in Ms. Seiga in answering to the school board about your use of narcotics on school grounds", he seethes looking over the appearance of the boys. "Sorry, Rin—too many strikes… catch you later", Ah breathes as he scuffles past the group with Un following silently with an apologetic stare. Waving off her friends, Rin shoulders her backpack before attempting to step around the silver haired young man in front of her. As she turns left or right, Sesshoumaru continues to stand in her path before placing his hands on her arms to halt her evasive movements. "Where do you think you are going, Ms. Seiga?"

"If you think that just because you're here that I'm miraculously going to pick up my slack and go to the classes I dread, you could think again…", she glares, shrugging her arms out of his touch. "Ms. Seiga, it has been brought to my attention that your performance has been declining in a few of your classes. While it is not enough to seriously diminish your grades for the semester or your grade point average, rumor has it that your new… associates are to blame for your behavior and recent classroom decline", Sesshoumaru coldly retorts, trying to ignore the residual tears marring the light blush she worn. "Why does everyone think that guys with crazy haircuts and a dark look to them are bad news? And why do you even care?", she spits, turning her back to continue walking up the flight of stairs and to the roof.

Sesshoumaru quickly follows her path, kicking the door shut as soon as he reaches the rooftop and bobbing out of the way, as Rin swings her knapsack into a disgruntled heap. She continues to walk up to the railing of the roof and leans against it as a look of frustration passes through her face. Reaching into her uniform blouse, she pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter before popping open the box and quickly lighting the stick. Taking a quick pull, she stuffs the items into her shirt again, taking the cigarette away from her lips as she exhales a puff of smoke. "Since when did you begin smoking?", Sesshoumaru tsks. "Since when did I have to answer to you? What are you going to do? Run and tell my father…", she snorts as she takes in another pull of her cigarette.

"Ms. Seiga… if this is about what happened…", Sesshoumaru begins. "The world doesn't revolve around me… and it certainly doesn't move for you Takahashi brothers. I have no idea what happened between us, but I'm opened my eyes to realize how stupid I've been to care", Rin dismisses. Suddenly Sesshoumaru walks up to the girl in question and pulls her away from the railing as he forces the cigarette out of her mouth. "What did you do that for—", she begins to shout. "I do not like this side of you…", he seethes.

"I'm not here for you to choose what you like or not. You don't know me, and you never did! Maybe this is the real side of me, how would you know?" "I know the girl I met on circumstance during her suicide attempt. I know the girl that I salvaged from her judgment. I know the girl who used to occasionally slumber in my arms because she did not bode well with her nightmares. I know the girl who was once very sincere with herself and those around her. But you are right… the girl I knew—the girl I fell for is no longer around", Sesshoumaru continues as he turns to walk away from the new image of Rin.

Silence fills the rooftop before Rin speaks again. "The person you know died the day you broke her heart with some stupid excuse. I once told you that I don't know where I would be if you weren't in my life. And yet you chose to leave me just because you want to protect me… That person broke… she was tired of the façade and the questions. In the end, you knew… someone… and for as long as this sensation fills me… that someone won't come back—I will never be that someone…", she breathes as Sesshoumaru locks the rooftop door behind him. Walking over to her tossed knapsack, she takes out another cigarette, quickly lights it before inhaling the numbness into her being. After a couple of puffs she exhales again with the only thought, "_There… getting rid of him… it wasn't that horrible… then why does it hurt so badly_". It wasn't before long that the school bell soon rings again and Rin tosses the remains of her cigarette into the ground, crushing the filter until it was dust before dashing away to her next class.

* * *

The rest of the school day went by without much harm done except for the occasional surprising reactions surrounding the transformation of the usual trio. Kagome ended up getting asked out not only by Hojo, and Kouga, but by half of the football team in school. Sango, no longer had to scream at other girls looking for Miroku's attention, now that all the competition thought she was hard to compete with. And Rin herself 'accidentally' groped and flirted with a few passing boys whenever Sesshoumaru's lingering presence started to unnerve her. Finally, it was the end of the school day and as routine, the respective performance groups met up to plan their skit for the upcoming talent show.

Kagura's group meets inside of Rin's living room, since her house is the most accessible and vacant of the rest. After a moment of rearranging furniture, the group sits shoeless and brainstorming ideas. "So let's utilize skills. Who's good with what?", Kagura instructs. "Why don't we perform a song? Kagome and Rin can be the singing talent since they're taking up the representation of Feudal High's show choir", Kouga begins. "But we would love some assistance. Sango can carry a tune and rumor has it that you have a good voice", Kagome suggests towards Kagura. "And since me and Sango are in dance class together, we can take care of choreography", Miroku chimes in. "That's perfect. And with me on costume and makeup duty and since you're very good with the technical effects, you can handle that, Kouga", Kagura agrees. "Okay, but what song should we sing?", Kagome questions. "Something with a dramatic flair… has something everyone can get excited about", Sango suggests.

"Well I think I have just the song… Damaged anyone?", Rin mumbles as she flips through her collection of musical discs. She pulls out Danity Kane's album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and runs to the little stereo system located in her bedroom, turning the volume all the way up as she listens intuitively with the rest of the group. As the song's tempo begins, Miroku begins planning dance moves as the girls begin singing enthusiastically. "_Do, do you, got a first, aid kit handy… Do, do you, know how to, patch up a, wound… tell me, are, are are, are you…Are you patient, understanding… Cause I might, need some time… To clear the hole, in my heart, and I..._", Kagome begins. "_I've tried, every remedy… And nothing, seems to work, for me_", the ladies join in timely. "_Baby, this situation is, driving me, crazy… And I really wanna, be your lady… But the one, before you left me so…_", Sango leads in as the girls continue to the chorus with Rin's voice taking over. "_Damaged… (Damaged), damaged… (Damaged), I thought that, I should let, you know… That my heart is, damaged… (Damaged), so damaged… (So damaged), and you can, blame the one before…_"

The girls end out the intro to the song with a little musical repertoire with Kagura leading. "_So how you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it… (Baby, I gotta know) How you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it… (What are you gonna do baby), How you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it… (Baby, I gotta know), How you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it… (What are you gonna do)_" As the music's instrumentals continue on Miroku and Kouga applaud the girls on their vocals. "I believe this really can work. Let's meet this weekend before the party at InuYasha's place. That should give me and Sango enough time to play around with the lyrics and experiment with the song. Kagome, Kagura, and Rin can continue memorizing lyrics while Kouga works on getting the sound stuff down", Miroku concludes. "And from the tune of the song, I already have an idea for the costumes. I need to know how much skin is everyone willing to expose?", Kagura questions as she begins taking out a sketchpad.

"I'm up for anything. Hell, I'll go out there nude!", Rin laughs, causing silence to fall in the room. Before Miroku can make one smart commentary, Sango quickly covers his mouth as Kagome laughs nervously. "You're enthusiasm is great, Rin. But let's not go overbore", she meekly speaks. "Going overbore would be fun… ", Rin pouts. "Well, you don't need to worry, I'll make sure your outfit is revealing enough but not an overdose. As for you, Sango and Kagome, I'll do my best to show your best features. I'm thinking glamorous leotards… haute couture of course", Kagura confirms as she dismisses herself from the room and out the door.

"Rin… we need to talk. Tonight—sleepover at my place. So go grab your things", Sango dictates with an attitude that said if Rin even started to argue, Sango would not be afraid to use force. Rin stomps off to her bedroom as Kouga walks over to Kagome to say his goodbye. "My offer still stands, Kagome. Come to the party with me next week, you have my number so I'll be waiting for your call", he smugly says before planting a kiss against Kagome's fingertips. With Kouga and Kagura gone, the remaining friends give each other a look before simultaneously saying, "What are we getting ourselves into?" "But first on the agenda, let's find out what's up with Rin. And Miroku, I'm begging you not to tell InuYasha", Kagome pleads. "Why not? Maybe he can shine some light on what's been going on with the Ice King at home", Miroku defends. "We don't need, Sesshoumaru to worry anymore. Like, he's seriously cracking", Sango confirms.

"Are we still on that? I swear you girls read too much into everything. All the man said was to keep an eye on Rin for him. What's so unusual about that?", Miroku ponders aloud. "Miroku… you weren't there… Earlier when Sango and I were going to meet with Rin at her locker, we saw him break the handle on one of the classroom doors… a metal one nonetheless. Just because she was flirting with another kid… that's fishy for a guy who unceremoniously dumps the girl. Something's up and it's up to us to figure it out", Kagome answers back. "Let's add that to trying to figure out who this mysterious psycho is and trying to tip toe that volcanic eruption of lusts that is around you and InuYasha", Sango teases. Kagome merely blushes before excusing herself to go check on Rin.

Before Kagome even made it up the stairs and down the hallway to Rin's bedroom, Rin runs out, breathing heavily as she pulls Kagome in the opposite direction. "Uh… Rin is something burning?", Kagome asks as the group of friends makes their way out of the house. "Yeah, you sorta smell like char", Sango confirms. "No. I just finished attempting to fry my bangs straight again", Rin jokes before spritzing on few sprays of her perfume. "_Ugh… the effects aren't kicking in anymore. I need to find something a bit stronger_", Rin mentally confirms as a fake smile plasters on her face.


	12. Foul & Play

**Foul &amp; Play**

Across town, the second group of our prime characters was meeting inside of InuYasha's house since it was easier for everyone to commute from there when done. For the past couple of hours, the group of InuYasha, Kikyo, Yura, Kanna, and Naraku came up with little as to what to do for their performance bit. "I'm not doing anything prissy that the bastard can record and use against me", InuYasha complains for the umpteenth time. "Well Kagura, just texted me and that's what the other group is doing. So we have to one up them somehow", Kanna informs the gathering. "Come on, how hard can it be? We have five popular and talented people here, who can just pass by on life on their looks. We shouldn't even have to try hard to overcome a bunch of retired social dorks", Yura comments. "Status and our control over the school are futile when the competition is basis on entertainment, in which we lack greatly", Naraku confirms.

"I wish someone told me that when I was deciding on the division of the groups. If we're merely relying on talent and a collection of ideas then I would have swapped out Yura and you Naraku for Kagome and Miroku. For a practically even battle", Kikyo coolly suggests. "I don't know what you're pulling here, girly but I have you know I have more talent then you have in your frigging little finger!", Yura retorts hotly. "Then I suppose you can go back to being the little freak everyone knew who was obsessed with long hair. Nevermind how my popularity and Kagura's grooming brought that side of you out of light", Kikyo calmly replies, causing Yura to retake her seat in fuming anger.

InuYasha merely moves to rub Kikyo's shoulders, before planting a kiss against her cheek. "Be nice, Kikyo. We're all thankful that you made our high school experiences much easier for us to endure these past couple of years." "Besides, you made the right choice in at least getting rid of that mangy wolf", InuYasha teases in agreement with Kikyo's decision. "I got it, why don't we girlies perform and you guys help with the technical stuff", Yura suggests. "That is a considerate idea, Yura. But let's face it. That still leaves InuYasha lacking anything to do", Naraku insults. Before InuYasha can let out a fuming remark, Sesshoumaru enters the living room area with only a pair of yoga pants on, causing silence to befall the room.

"If you do not mind outside intrusion on your development; this Sesshoumaru proposes that InuYasha will fund the project and take actions as the producer of your little function", the elder Takahashi speaks. "I do not desire having any Takahashi superior to me—no offense", Naraku mumbles carefully. "As if I want to take responsibility for you", InuYasha snorts. As Sesshoumaru pulls the scrunchi from his hair, allowing his moist silver mane to air out, his typical lethal gaze sets upon his face, causing everyone in the room to gulp. "Then it is indomitable that you will accept trailing to your opposition", he briefly retorts before turning to leave the room. "Who made you director?", InuYasha scowls. "What a brilliant proposal, InuYasha. Even if it is coming from a scoundrel like you. This Sesshoumaru accepts your offer", he dismisses as he completely exits the room.

"I suppose we can't argue with that. I will require your assistance, InuYasha, as will Yura in taking care of our costumes", Kanna dictates meekly. "And we will be performing 'Ecstasy' by Danity Kane", Kikyo adds in. "Like, actually singing it?", Yura questions. "Of course not. Our bodies will be doing the talking. But it's your job Yura to figure out the choreography, I will assist", Kikyo confirms. "Great, meeting adjourned. Kikyo, you're mine", InuYasha jokes as he picks up his girlfriend and throw her over his shoulders. "You guys can let yourselves out right?", he shouts back, ignoring Kikyo's qualms as he leaves the room without waiting for an answer.

* * *

Later on that night, during their sleepover, Sango and Rin were busy attacking each other's faces with facial masks. Wiping away the residue from her beauty treatment, Kagome walks back into Sango bedroom just in time to answer the mellow vibrations of her cell phone. "Hey, InuYasha—", she answers only to pull the phone away from her ear at the sound of a female moaning in her ear. "Uh… hello? Anyone there? Okay… I'm just going to hang up now before this—"

"Hey, Gome. Sorry about that. I was… distracted. I just wanted to let you know that you and your friends are invited to the Christmas party next week. Despite the obvious theme, all of us is going to dress in royal colors. Oh and you guys would need to bring an overnight bag. Every year it sort of becomes tradition to have the clique crash since the party never seems to end. Kudos to you if you're like Hea and can party all night. But yeah…", InuYasha all but yells into the phone. "Thanks, InuYasha, you didn't have to call though. I sort of assumed we were invited because Kikyo demanded us to be there… but I don't know…", she begins before being interrupted by InuYasha's moan.

"What he really called you about is to let you know that starting tomorrow, me and the girls would be joining your little show choir group to sort of train ourselves for the competition. And trust me, your group needs a lot more eye candy. In exchange, you three are hereby drafted to Feudal High's cheerleading squad. I expect to see you in practice this week and to pick up your uniforms tomorrow morning before attending workout drills—", Kikyo's voice drifted through the phone before being cut off by the sound of her ecstatic shrieking. "So are you coming or not, Kagome?", InuYasha asks.

"I'm going to have to give you my answer by the end of the week. Besides I'm positive Sango is going with Miroku and Rin says she'll go only if you incite the entire school," she breathes, trying to calm the blush rising to her cheeks at the sound of Kikyo erotically whispering InuYasha's name. "Okay, deal. Sesshoumaru is going to be pissed but I always wanted to throw a massive party at this place, so I'll see you then…" "But InuYasha—", Kagome calls out only to answer to the sound of the dial tone.

"You know, we can just say fuck it to those Takahashi brothers…", Rin blurts out with a cheesy smile. "Its okay, Rin. That was just really… on the phone though? Ugh… the images that are stuck in my head…", Kagome laughs. Sango gets up from her seat in front of her vanity, and grabs hold of the phone in Kagome's hands before searching through the contacts. Finding the number she was looking for, she quickly dials it as Kagome shoots her a confused look. "Hello, Kouga. Yeah, this is Sango, calling on behalf of Kagome. She doesn't know this yet but you're going to take her to InuYasha's party next week. Yup, she's right here…" Kagome grabs the phone from Sango's hands, scowling at her friend's antics as Sango mouth's the words, "I'm not sorry." "Hey, Kouga… Yeah—look Kouga, I don't know if… okay then I'll guess I see you'll there", she breathes before quickly hanging up the phone.

"What did you do that for?!", Kagome pouts. "Come on, Gome. These makeovers, our new statuses. We don't have to pine over some guy that doesn't want us anymore. Now we can just take whatever we want. Sango has a boyfriend and it's about time you start taking calls. At least Kouga's been asking you out from before so you can honestly say he's not completely trying to get in your pants. Give the guy a shot…", Rin coaches as she grabs a washcloth to wipe away the egg white mask. "I'll give Kouga a shot when you finally talk to Sesshoumaru—", Kagome taunts as Rin flips her off before heading into Sango's bathroom. "Okay how about we hurry up and hit the sheets. Tomorrow is going to be a headache especially if we have to deal with more of Kikyo and the other bitches in our space…", Sango dismisses for the night as she preps the massive inflatable bed with the help of Kagome.

* * *

The week continues without many tribulations. Of course, there was the occasional argument between InuYasha and Kikyo about their relationship as the approach of the winter break and the massive party comes upon them. Kagome only adds ammo to their problems and her own whenever Kouga continues to pester her about her arrival to the party. Rin's out of control behavior continues outside of the eyes of her old comrades. After that 'sleepover' which was more of a firing squad/therapy session amongst friends, Rin decides to be more careful whenever she acted out and keeping a clean cut impression whenever around her friends and being a complete bad ass when not. Being that it didn't matter if she acted out elsewhere because all her friends were able to call her out on were rumors. Moreover, these days, the rumors at Feudal High were treacherous.

With that being said, the weekend finally arrives and winter break officially begins. Within Rin's living room, after the end of an intense rehearsal session with their group, everyone leaves for the party with the exception of the trio and Miroku as they calm down from the day's 'workout'.

"Sango—did anyone ever tell you that you're a bitch when it comes to warm-ups. I swear between you and Miroku, I probably lost 10 lbs in every practice", Kagome teases. "If you think this is bad, wait until Miko starts some serious workout regimes for the cheerleading competition next month. Besides, Miroku merely has you stretching, and I like something a little more fun and upbeat", Sango chimes in as she adds emphasis to her words by suddenly jumping up from her resting spot against the wall to dance erratically. Miroku grabs Sango around her waist, hoisting her in the air as she laughs in triumph. "I positive that Rin almost fainted a while ago", Kagome mutters. "I swear I'm fine. Besides I kept up more than you did after I got a glass of water in my system", Rin teases, untangling the honey blond curls in her makeshift ponytail.

As Kagome pouts, the group laughs merrily at Kagome's dramatic antics. "Okay… so about the party…", she begins again. "Come on, Kagome! There's nothing to be afraid of. You gotta go! Kouga is waiting for you", Rin teases as she shakes Kagome's hand in a pleading manner. "But…", Kagome whines. "No arguing around it Kagome, you're coming even if I have to drag you. At least say goodbye to InuYasha before he goes on the senior trip. You can even give him the Christmas present you were too chicken to give him in front of Miko", Sango demands. "Oh right, I forgot about that", she blushes as she glances at the wrapped box in her knapsack. "Come on, I'm the only one whose never got to revisit Takahashi mansion and now I get a chance to another sleepover… you wouldn't take that from me would you…", Sango begs as she gives Kagome her best puppy dog look.

"Okay, okay. Goodness Sango, no need to lay on the ammunition so thick. I'll go but you have to help me pick out my outfit. I want to look nice…. But I also don't want to be too revealing", Kagome gloats. "Okay, Miroku, you gotta go", Sango suddenly announces as she turns around to kiss him goodbye. "Wha… why?", he pouts. "You don't need to see Kagome change clothes, especially when she's damn near nude in her gym clothes… and god help you if you make any comment on that", Sango lightly threatens as she directs him to the door. Miroku almost makes it out of the house before he mutters, "Make sure you girls take some pictures for me", and getting shoved out of the door by a fuming Sango.

* * *

A few hours later, across town, inside of the infamous Victorian styled mansion, a massive party resonates throughout the house with people running in and out and everywhere within the heavily guarded home. Somehow, InuYasha and Kikyo were able to construct a guest list of approximately 200 persons, all of which were the upcoming popular cliques in Feudal High and accommodate sleeping arrangements for 20 of them involved with their clique with enough food for everyone and any guest they bring. It was a Christmas Party extravaganza and with Izayoi and InuTaisho out of the house on a business trip for the holidays, Sesshoumaru allows the party to take place as long as security was under his watch and InuYasha kept the list to a controllable amount. What Sesshoumaru hadn't planned for was the screaming ruckus the mansion turned to within a mere couple of hours of guest arriving.

Patrolling the halls of the upper level of the mansion, Sesshoumaru has this area, the entire front entrance of the mansion and a few extra security guards at his call for his watch. He turns into his private study again, shutting the door to drown out the sounds of the booming stereo sounding through the lower levels of the house. Walking towards the desk in the center of the room, Sesshoumaru presses the hidden button in his bookcase causing the desk to shift as a massive 20 paneled monitor pulls out from the floor. As the monitor locks into place, every paneled camera screen pops into its slot as it records the current actions of the main rooms and corridors. Taking a seat in his chair, he casually throws the long braid of his silver mane aside so he doesn't sit on it, pulling out a radio as he stares into the colored monitors.

In the center of the screen, he merely blinks as he watches the last few guests on the list arrive; observing each person and taking note on their wardrobe before having guards lock out any further guests. Miroku, dressed in indigo slacks with a black button up under a matching opened vest, escorts Kagome and Rin into the house as his own hands were held down and away from passing females by his girlfriend. His hair was gelled back and held in place under a black pageboy cap. His date wears a black, banded tunic styled dress with a high neckline, shoulder cutouts in her 3/4 sleeves baring her smooth tanned skin. The bodice stretching tight across her muscular thighs as the fabric ends mere inches below her bottom, completed with a pair of black caged booties. Her darkly streaked auburn hair was loosely curled and styled to make her look like a total bombshell complete with dark, smokey eyes and nude lips.

Glancing at the screen, he looks over Kagome as she was the most modest of the group. She wears a long sleeved, navy blue crop with a sweetheart neckline over a pair of black, frayed edge, high-waisted shorts with black opaque leggings and black spike-studded boots. Her chestnut colored hair was loosely curled and left out to play with the wind under a black fedora with a thin silver rim. She opts for the natural makeup look with layered silver hoops and bangles as her accessories. Finally, Sesshoumaru's sights rest on the thin, porcelain like doll beside her.

Rin wears a silver corset dress with black embroidery over the bodice and tutu bottom complete with a pair of black ripped fishnet tights and black pumps with a silver heel. Her honey blond locks were braided around her crown, leaving out her blunt bangs and curly wisps of hair that cascaded over her shoulder with the remainder tied into a curly ponytail at the side of her neck. Her makeup was a simple combination of thick mascara and light gloss. She assists Miroku in dropping off overnight bags with the guard available at coat check before running back to their friends. Following her every move, he almost misses the sight of few football players sneaking in with beer barrels. Immediately he turns away from camera screen as he radios the guards in the section to stop the vagrants.

Turning back to the remaining screens at hand, he follows Rin as she and her friends disperses amongst the crowd. As Rin moves from camera to camera, he notices that she's following a couple of suspicious looking teenage boys with baggy jeans and dark hoodies. One of the boys pulls her in a corner to make out with her as the other pulls out a capsule from his pockets. Rin begins to casually touch the other boy as he hands her the capsule. But the moment she receives the capsule in hand, Rin pushes away both boys, ignoring their angry expressions. Sesshoumaru was about to call security on the boys as they immediately try to chase after Rin but Kagura, dressed in a tight burgundy dress and matching crystal pumps, and her haired styled in a delicate chignon with dark lips and thick black lashes contrasting her fair skin, steps in between as Rin gets lost in the crowd, distracting the boys with her erotic dancing.

Sesshoumaru lets go of the breath he was holding as he attempts to quickly find Rin on camera again. He catches sight of her heading to one of the bathroom lines but Kagura soon appears out of nowhere and pulls her away with a stern look on her face. Sesshoumaru can see Rin struggling against Kagura's hand before she slips free to leave a fuming Kagura in her midst, weaving through the crowd until she was lost on sight again. As Sesshoumaru raises the radio to make his next announcement, the guards signal back that they lost track of the beer smugglers. Shaking his head, the elder Takahashi mutters, "The only way anything gets done accurately around here is if it is completed by my hands".

* * *

Somewhere lost amongst the midst of guest of the Christmas Party Extravaganza, InuYasha searches intently for his girlfriend as the chaos levels continue to rise within the mansion. He wanted to make a toast and propose to her in front of everyone before people became too wasted to focus. He knew about an hour ago that somebody had spiked the open punch bowls but rather than stop the party and warn everyone from drinking, he figures it'll be easier to let no one leaves until their blood alcohol levels became stable. After he can find his girlfriend that is.

Following an hour of searching through the crowds, InuYasha finally makes his way away from the chaos and towards the upstairs entrance to the mansion. "Hey, they stranger", came a familiar voice behind him. "Hey, Kagome. I didn't see you there", InuYasha briefly greets as he moves to hug the girl. "Trying to get away from the noise?", she laughs sheepishly pointing toward the direction of the booming bass from the wall speakers. "Yeah. You think after all the parties I thrown over the years, I'll get used to it. Have you seen, Kikyo?", he asks impatiently fingering the lapels of the black blazer, he wore over his ruby silk shirt and black jeans. "Uh… sorry. No luck. She's probably mixed in with the crowd watching Sango and Rin dance on tables. They tried to get me to join but I'll never be that bold. Besides I didn't have that much to drink yet", Kagome dismisses as she begins playing with her nails.

InuYasha pauses his impatient gestures to rethink the words that just came out of Kagome's mouth as he looks over her apparel. "One—you have nothing to be modest about. You look amazing. And two—I should probably warn you…", he begins, just as Miroku intrudes on the duo. "Hey, Yash, sorry to intrude but Kagome's needed on the dance floor. Sorry Gome, Sango sorta started a riot", Miroku apologizes. "What are you talking about?", the duo answers back simultaneously. Miroku leads them back through the crowd as the playlist changes the song to Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea's "Problem". Once they reached the center of the crowd, to Kagome's horror, Sango and Rin were posed on a massive snack table, cleared off all snacks, and making the crowd chant her name to join them on stage. "Hey! Kagome, let's do our warm-up!", Sango shouts as Rin pulls Kagome away from Miroku and InuYasha's grips with the help of the crowd.

Rin retakes her position in the center of the table as Kagome rolls her eyes and submits to peer pressure as the trio begun their dance routine. InuYasha simply couldn't believe his eyes as the modest girls he once knew were doing the most evocative dance moves and with complexity and flexibility. It wasn't before long that InuYasha's amazement was joined by Sesshoumaru's when he arrived on the scene. Quickly, Rin spots him from her position on the makeshift stage, and in a drunken haze, she signals his attention as the crowd ushers the reluctant, silver haired young man onto the platform. Standing with his arms crossed, Kagome stops her routine as she raises her eyes in alarm at the sight of Rin dancing erotically against Sesshoumaru's very still body. The crowd begins whistling and making catcalls as Sesshoumaru tries to back away only to bump into Kagome's equally stagnant body. With a jeer from the crowd, Kagome signals Sesshoumaru to quickly follow her move as he stiffly dances with her until she coaches him safely off the table.

Sighing a breath of relief, the hype of the song passes as Kagome and Sango were shoved off the platform with Rin's finishing move. The music playlist changes the song to Miley Cyrus and French Montana's "FU", and immediately Rin changes her dancing tone and before he can get away, she singles out Sesshoumaru again. With the help of the crowd, she gets him ushered onto the platform again as she dances erotically against him while serenading with another drink in hand. The crowd simply cheers as they were clueless to the coldness suddenly filling the girl's eyes.

Rin's voice suddenly takes hold as she sings along with the song. "_Oh, you broke my heart… I told you… I was weak for love…. But then you went around… and did what you wanted to do… And now I'm crying… cry…ing…_", Rin begins. Suddenly she turns around and aggressively starts to act out against the man in the spotlight as she continues singing with her drink still in hand. "_Ooh, it seemed like everything was going fine… I found the love that I thought was gonna last… Then I accidentally saw—a few things in your cell…I even LOL'd, man, I should've known… Why, why you're doing what you do… You, you might as well just tell the honest truth… See, I'm not really down with this—this ain't no texting shit… Know I got no biz, But it is what it is… I don't really, have much to say… I was over it, the second that I saw her name…_", Rin belts out as she turns her attention away from Sesshoumaru, swaying her body to the next part of the song. "_I got two, ooh, ooh letters for you… One of them's F and the other one's U…'Cause what you gotta do, is go get yourself a clue… Only two, ooh ooh letters to choose… One of them's F and the other one's U… SMH, I'm pressing send on you_", she continues before shoving Sesshoumaru off the platform and continues her song with the crowd watching in awe.

Sesshoumaru wearily glances around to see if anyone paid any heed to her words and breathes a sigh of relief as the entire room merely carries on with the performance, whistling and catcalling to the girl garnering their attention. As Rin carries on with her charade, Sesshoumaru attention becomes diverted when he catches sight of the vagrants who were still trying to spike every drink. Just as he manages to make his way across the crowd, he bumps into his brother helping to hold onto Miroku's date as she follows the crowd behavior.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru… can you get security to not let anyone else in or out of this place tonight. Somebody spiked the drinks", InuYasha shouts over the loudness. "This is what happens when you invite half of the school to a—", was all Sesshoumaru utters aloud before realizing InuYasha can barely hear him over the crowd's cheers. Sighing lightly, he continues past the group and back to the entrance of the upstairs part of the mansion. On his way away from the music, he radios for security to permit guests to leave the estate after an alcohol screening. "_This is going to be a long night_", he mentally confirms as he silently grabs hold of one of the suspicious boys who met with Rin earlier and drags him off of the estate.

* * *

Somewhere on the upper levels of the mansion, two teens finish having a quickie session in the dark corner of the halls, away from all viewing eyes. "I gave you what you want, now would you keep up your end of the deal", says the meek voice of the girl as she readjusts her underwear underneath her tight, short, forest green dress. "I don't know, if she doesn't stop her little shenanigans, you may have to work a little harder to change my mind, Kanna", the pale-skinned boy coos as he zips up his dark jeans. "She only desires to be free of your control. You can still claim part of your fortune from marrying into my half of the family", she breathes as she readjust her white locks into a slightly tousled hairstyle. "I intend to do just that, Kanna. But first, I want to see how far she's willing to go to lose her dignity. Once I get my entertainment—she can go free", the boy speaks as he swipes away stray drops of sweat from the neckline of his silver tipped collared black shirt.

"Naraku, you're indeed a cruel bastard", Kanna mutters before being on the receiving end of a sudden choke hold. "Tell me something I don't know, Kanna and I'll tell you who the bastard is", he seethes before lightly kissing her cheek. "Hidden secrets will be your undoing. And tonight will be the high point of your diabolical plan", she mindlessly chants as he loosens his hold on her neck. "I'll take that in mind, now run along and get back to the party, Kanna", he dismisses as he walks back into the light of the hallways, back to the party.

"Let's see how far you will get…there's a lot you don't know Naraku", Kanna breathes as she fixes a fake smile on her lips and prances on after Naraku.

* * *

As the party screams on down in the lower level of the mansion, Miroku finally gets Sango away from all the noise and nonsense after hours of mingling in the crowds. Being a little buzzed himself, he barely follows the directions of the security staff towards their sleeping arrangements. He knew each guest was paired up with someone else so that everyone fit down one wing of the mansion. However, as to which room was his and how far away was Sango's… that was a little too much effort for him. Limping down the upstairs corridors, supporting his and Sango's weight, Miroku finally gets half way down the hall before getting exhausted from dragging around his intoxicated girlfriend.

Lucky for him, he stops in front of the room labeled with his name and next to his name was InuYasha. "_I'm sure InuYasha will end up sleeping in Kikyo's room anyhow_", Miroku mentally disputes as he opens the door, dragging Sango's limp body in after him. Sighing a breath of relief, he immediately moves to his overnight bag to take out his sleepwear. Before he can even make it across the room, a frisky Sango snaps out of her stupor and begins to rub her hands across his legs as her bosom presses against his back. "I see you're awake", he teases as he turns his head to kiss her forehead in attempt to calm the rising arousal in his pants. "Mmm… Miroku isn't this how you always used to get girls into your room… why not try it on me… I won't get mad…", Sango breathes against his skin as she begins to plant kisses down the back of his exposed neck.

"As tempting as that sounds, I know that's just the liquor talking. Now I need you to stay awake long enough for you to change out of your clothes, you understand me, Sango?", he questions only to turn around to face Sango pulling down the sleeves of her dress. Immediately Miroku jumps away from his duffel bag and places a hand on top of Sango's other sleeve. Sango sways slightly before gripping onto Miroku's forearm for support. "Miroku, I feel sick…", she mutters before darting past Miroku, and stumbling into the private bathroom. She barely makes the toilet in time, tripping over her heels as Miroku treks behind her to make sure she was okay.

After emptying all the contents of her stomach, Sango moans in disgust as Miroku flushes the toilet and helps her to the bathroom sink to rinse out her mouth. "Do you think you can manage this for just a moment?", he comforts as Sango nods her head. Running back to the bedroom, he grabs the big black t-shirt he was going to sleep in and a bottle of water with a couple of aspirin. He re-enters the bathroom to see Sango wearing only her pink boy shorts, kicking aside her dark apparel. She lazily looks up to Miroku, causing him to quickly close his eyes as he hands her his t-shirt. "But Miro… what are you going to wear?", she smiles. "I'm covered, Sango. Now for the love of god please put that on and tell me when you're ready… before I fuck the shit out of you", he sternly instructs as he takes deep breathes to try to will away his instant boner at memory of seeing her perky pair of breast.

Sango merely giggles but does as she is told before shouting, "I'm DONE!", causing Miroku to cautiously peep before letting out a breath of relief. "Drink this water first and then I need you to be a good girl and take down these aspirin. Then you can have more water later", he dictates. Sango smiles in return as she tries to stand still and do exactly as he said. Once finished, she throws the empty bottle behind her and into the bathroom sink before throwing herself against Miroku again. "I don't know what game you're playing but I know you want me, Miroku", she teases as her fingers rake his hair. Miroku close his eyes as he tries hard to think about anything then the feel of her chest pushing against him and the soothing feeling of her fingers raking his scalp.

"_Damn… what a time for her to be throwing herself at me… And if I take it now, she would kill me in the morning… The one time I don't have any condoms either… might as well put her to bed_", he mentally debates as he opens his eyes again to see Sango snoring against him, her head resting against the crook in his shoulder with his arms being the only thing holding her up as they wrapped around her waist. Chuckling lightly to himself, he gently hooks his arms behind her knees and hoists her feet in the air as he leads her to the perfectly made up mattress against the wall. He hoped InuYasha wouldn't mind her sleeping on the bed design for him. After tucking her in underneath the blanket on top, Miroku runs to change into his navy blue, cotton pajama bottoms.

Ten minutes later, he exits the bathroom to see Sango whimpering and clamping the bed sheets. Shaking his head to himself, he walks over to the bed and climbs in beside her, situating his self against the wall so she can run to the toilet if needed during the night. Immediately Sango brings herself closer to his warmth, burying herself into the smooth expanse of his lightly sculpted chest. Miroku didn't move a single inch as she makes herself comfortable against him. It wasn't until he heard her sigh in her sleep that he decided to just let her be and to rest himself. His final thoughts were, "_Once she realizes that I stop her from making a fool out of herself—maybe I'll get a reward for not fucking that ass… nah—it's Sango we're talking about._"

* * *

Back at the chaos of the party, Kagome, intent on finding Rin for the night so she can at least end the shenanigans and put her to bed, continues her search only to bump into InuYasha again. "Still looking for Kikyo?", Kagome asks rhetorically as she catches him searching the crowd again. "This party is going have to end soon if I don't find her", InuYasha growls. "Calm down, I saw her head upstairs about an hour ago. I think she was trying to get away from the noise, too", Kagome shouts as the crowd becomes even more rowdy once Rin leaves the table to become hydrated again. Just as Kagome was going to go chase after her running friend, InuYasha grips her hand and pulls her in the opposite direction. "You're going to show me where she is!", he demands as Kagome follows without another word, only turning back to catch sight of Rin disappearing into the crowd again.

The two manage to make it to the top floor of the mansion with no success of finding anyone. "Okay, after all this running, she better be on this floor", Kagome pants as she follows closely behind InuYasha, holding her boots in her hand. "I think I hear her but she's at the other end of the hall… I think she's talking to someone else", he whispers as he and Kagome pause just outside the darkness hiding the faces of voices within the corridor. Soon two distinct voices can be heard as the two crept closer, causing Kagome to lightly gasp when she heard one of the voices saying, "You know what you owe me Kikyo." InuYasha immediately claps a hand over Kagome's lips as she tries to still her trembling body.

"I don't know how you got in here but you gotta leave. You can't get your share until I reap the rewards", Kikyo dismisses. "Fine, I'll just take my information to my other client. See how well you reap your rewards after that", the voice spits. Kikyo immediately grabs hold of the person and kisses him enthusiastically. "Please don't… I'm a much better person than your other client. Plus, I always make good on my word", she pleads as the person ceases his actions. "You must be drunk, Miko. I'm not like Hihi to respond to your public advances so keep your lips to yourself. I'll hold up my end of the bargain if you hold up yours. Meet me at our disclosed location and we can proceed with the next step in our plans", the person breathes as he pulls himself away from Kikyo's grip.

"Thank you for your services Mr. H", Kikyo breathes to the air as she watches him exit the opposite staircase and up to the roof. Fixing her black sequined top and white pants, she turns at the sound of whimpering up the hall and pause her actions. Trying to peer closer at the shadows, she dismisses the sound before turning to exit to the lower levels of the mansion. Muttering threats under his breath, InuYasha was seething at the revelation before him as he wanted to hit walls. Immediately InuYasha tries to burst away from the dark shadows of the hall to confront his girlfriend only to have Kagome's death grip stilling his actions. Kagome falls to the ground in shock, InuYasha's hand lowered from her mouth as he looks over the girl next to him, as she begins having a flashback of her terrifying encounter.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

Restraints immediately were felt against Kagome's arms and legs. "Oh hello there. I'm glad you're finally awake. The effects of the drugs should wear away in a matter of seconds", the voice shatters the darkness. The resonating sound of a gun clicking causes Kagome to take a shallow breath as she tries not to panic. Opening her eyes, all she sees is darkness in the room with the exception of the dimly lit light bulb swinging above her head. "Who are you?" A pale hand creeps out of the darkness to grab the flashlight from the makeshift harness. Light flashes in Kagome's eyes, causing her to squint her eyes shut. "My… wait till my boss finds out. You have a great similarity in features with Kikyo. Oh, by the way. She has a message for you. But I'll tell you when I'm done with you", the haunting voice speaks.

"Do what? What do you want from me?" The light was pulled off her face and back above her head. "I never ask why I'm hired, I just do the job. Besides the instructions for this assignment says I can do whatever I want with you. Now… open up wide", the voice coos in a sinister way. "First… untie me. I'll do whatever you want if you just untie my hands." "Do you think I'm that stupid? There's more than one way to get you to take this narcotic", the voice sneers. Kagome begins to thrash around in fear, determined to cause a distraction or anything. "BE STILL OR YOU"LL DIE", the voice shouts in the darkness. The sound of the gun clicking sounds in the air again, this time the barrel of the gun was pressed against Kagome's forehead, causing her to still her movement. A prick was felt in Kagome's arm as a substance was pumped into her skin.

She wanted to squirm as she felt the needle be pulled out slowly. The effects of the serum acts quickly as Kagome starts to cough violently. "It'll all be over in a matter of seconds…", the voice coos in the darkness as a blade cuts open the restraints on her arms. Fearing for her very life, Kagome grabs hold of the nearest thing but was surprised to feel silk like strands in her hand as she continues to trash and pull. Finally, the strands fell off from its source as the voice screams in agony from the pain. It was all over when the feeling of a sharp blade plunges into Kagome's leg. Shrieking in bloody horror, Kagome passes out, the final sounds she hear were the distant footsteps quickly approaching.

Finally, parting words from her murderer fill the air as Kagome struggles not to go into a state of delirium. "You're not what I planned for. Speak about this and I swear I would come find you and finish the job. Kikyo will see to that. There was something else I'm supposed to… Oh and by the way, stay away from InuYasha, or next it'll be the very last person you'll be seen whoring around with", the voice taunts. Kagome drifts into the darkness as the pain becomes overwhelming.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

Kagome clamps a hand over the thin scar underneath the tights she wore over her once injured leg. She was hyperventilating, not taking in the words of the boy next to her until warm lips pressed against her forehead. "Kagome… talk to me… I was just over exaggerating. I'm not really going to hurt Kikyo, though she completely deserves it right now…", InuYasha rants as Kagome slowly starts to calm her nerves. "InuYasha…", she whimpers as tears race down her cheek. Completely oblivious of what to do, InuYasha did the only thing he can think of at a time like this. He pulls Kagome into his chest and holds her carefully as she cries her fear out.

Eventually Kagome calms her light sniffles to a slight hiccup, whispering, "It was him…" "Who was?", InuYasha asks gently. "The guy she was talking to… I'm positive… InuYasha—that is the voice that haunted me and gave me nightmares for weeks", she breathes. "Are you absolutely sure, Kagome?", he whispers against her hair. Immediately Kagome pulls herself away from him with a look of aversion in her eyes. "You're seriously telling me you wouldn't question your girlfriend's infidelity—even though it was right in front of you but yet you're willing to question my sanity?", she squeaks in near hysterics. "Fine… if you put it that way. See if I care at all", InuYasha grumbles as he attempts to leave Kagome.

"Wait… InuYasha… I'm sorry—just… don't leave me… I'm too afraid to be alone right now", Kagome murmurs to the dark. She didn't have to wait long as InuYasha reappears next to Kagome, pulling her aside and back downstairs to alert Sesshoumaru and security.

* * *

Back down the lower levels of the mansion, Sesshoumaru finally takes a break from trying to corner Rin and nurses his throbbing headache in the soundproof kitchen area. It almost seems as if Rin wasn't only avoiding him but all her friends during her time at the party. If he had known this would've been a result, he wouldn't have urged his brother to allow her and her friends to sleep over as well. At least he hasn't had many encounters with Kagura tonight, other than an earlier incident in the hallway when he was trying to escort both an intoxicated Kagura and an even drunker Yura into their rooms. Yura passed out so he left her outside of the door marked with her and Rin's name. But Kagura was making it a bit difficult for him to take her down the hall to her and Kanna's room.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

"Sexy Sesshoumaru… so hot… you make this lesbian think twice", Kagura giggles as Sesshoumaru tries to hold her still enough to walk to her room. In his attempt, he mistakenly gropes her, causing her to moan aloud before trying to attack him with kisses. "Ms. Kaze… what are you doing?", he fumes. "You started it first… just tell me you don't want me Sesshoumaru…", she laughs. "_I don't know how much of this I can stand_", Sesshoumaru mentally groans as he hoists Kagura up, pinning her body against the wall with his arms locking her own above her head and his legs barricading her own in a completely submissive stance. "You need to get some rest before you and your group departs for your trip tomorrow", he seethes against her ears. "You're all work and no fun… I need to change that", Kagura breathes as she somehow gathers enough force to counter Sesshoumaru's own and pushes him across the corridor to the opposite space of wall between the floor length windows with her lips crashing upon his.

Sesshoumaru tries to push her off at first but decides to sit still so she doesn't have any morning bruises to complain about. However, down the hall, within the shadows, the sounds of a whimper lightly drift by, causing him to turn his head in that direction just as Kagura relinquishes her hold. But soon after, the pitter-patter of racing footsteps was all that can be heard. "_Great… now someone knows. I can either hope their too drunk to remember or go find out who it was and bribe them_", he mentally deliberates. Slowly, Sesshoumaru eases Kagura off of him just as she finished her groping session. "Good night, Ms. Kaze. I hope you sleep well", he stoically dismisses before gliding down the hall to the source of the sound.

Once he reaches the opposite end of the hall, Sesshoumaru nearly trips over a nick in the carpeting. Looking down, he sees the shine and gleam of a familiar piece of jewelry on a thin chain. Picking up the precious item, he groans in anguish before racing down the stairwell to try to catch her before she overreacts. The time for the truth was now.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

It's been hours since then and he still hasn't found her. Taking a deep breath, he exits the kitchen and back into the massive crowd at the party. And on the table again, was Rin, this time singing out the song "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift. This time, he was taking precautions to not get pulled up to the platform again yet get as close as possible to her before she can run.

On the 'stage', Rin shouts out the words of the song while removing parts of her apparel and throwing it into the crowd, her eyes completely glazed over with an alcohol induced stupor. "_Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago, I was in your sights, you got me all alone, you found me, you found me, you found me-e, e, e, e…I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that, And when I fell hard, you took a step back_

_Without me, without me, without me, e, e, e, e…_", she sings before taking off her tutu and tossing it into the crowd. "_And he's long… gone, when he's next… to me, and I realize… the blame is on me…_"

Sesshoumaru manages to get close enough to the table Rin was standing on that so he could pull her down. That was until she started jumping on the surface and screaming into the face of her audience, unknowingly his as well. "_Cause I knew, you were trouble, when you walked in… So shame, on me now… Flew me, to places I'd, never been… 'Til you, put me down, oh… Cause I knew, you were trouble, when you walked in… So shame, on me now… Flew me, to places I'd, never been… Now I'm lying, on the cold hard, ground… Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble…Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble_", she screams while jumping. Suddenly Rin stands upright and begins to unravel her delicate hairstyle. "_No apologies, he'll never see you cry, Pretend he doesn't know, that he's the reason why, You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning, ing, ing, ing, ing… Now I heard you moved on, from whispers on the street, A new notch in your belt, is all I'll ever be, And now I see, now I see, now I see, e, e, e, e…_ _He was long… gone, when he met… me, and I realize… the joke is on me, yeah!_", she sings until she completely unravels her hair.

With her hair loose and wild to the wind, she begins to dance around crazily, kicking off her shoes in her act. "_Cause I knew, you were trouble, when you walked in… So shame, on me now… Flew me, to places I'd, never been… 'Til you, put me down, oh… Cause I knew, you were trouble, when you walked in… So shame, on me now… Flew me, to places I'd, never been… Now I'm lying, on the cold hard, ground… Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble…Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble… And the saddest fear, comes creeping in… That you never loved, me or her… or anyone… or anything… yeah_".

With those words, Rin's crazy jumping and ecstatic movements causes her to fly off the table and into the crowd. Luckily, Sesshoumaru catches her before she can finish crowd surfing and drags her away from the noise of the party as the music continues with the rioting crowd. Eventually they make it to the upstairs level of the mansion even with Rin's uncompromising thrashing. Sesshoumaru plants her firmly on her feet, only to have her smack him once she was completely still.

"Rin… I need you to tell me how much you remember from tonight", he gently coaxes, ignoring the sting of her hand. "Is this your apology? Because I'm seriously tired of all this… You should've found me a couple of drinks ago—I wanted to know why? How would you benefit from stringing me along… then I realize it doesn't matter because at the end of the day you don't care—you never cared…and I for one would not stand around and wait for you to hurt me anymore. So go on and remember that hit because that's the least of what I want to do to you", she steams in an ongoing rant before being grabbed by Sesshoumaru and kissed with enough force to bruise her lips.

Surprised by the sudden reaction, Rin immediately melts in his touch, forgetting her qualms for that instant as their thirst for a comforting touch overwhelms her. Sesshoumaru's hands begin to travel from their tight grip on her lower back and down to her legs, hoisting her up so that she straddled his waist as her legs immediately clamped around his body. With her body raised above his, her curly mass of honey blond locks begin to blanket around their faces as the two linger in the moment. Becoming lost in his senses, Sesshoumaru quickly allows his hands to travel up and down the contours of Rin's body, memorizing every curve of the tight corset against her thin waist as his bruising kiss leaves her lips to kiss the side of her face. Coming back to her senses, Rin finally takes in enough of a breath as tears start to fall down and her body begins to tremble. Sesshoumaru slows down his actions, kissing away her tears in the process before settling the small girl back down on her feet while holding her to his chest.

"Why won't you say anything… that's what kills me the most… you won't defend yourself so it's like you're admitting that everything I say is true yet you kiss and hold me like this and I don't know what to think. You shouldn't have this power over me like this—you can't just walk up and take my breath away and think that everything is okay… it's not", she cries. "Rin… there are not enough words in this world to tell you that I am sorry. There is nothing this Sesshoumaru can say to make it better for you", he begins. "I don't need you to make it better—I'm tired of you having to come to my rescue. You were right when you said that you were dangerous to me… my dependency on you leaving me a handicap… so this is goodbye—thank you for waking me up to my own medicine", Rin seethes as she pushes herself away from his touch.

"That is not the solution I wanted you to come to in all of this. Rin—this… remedy… You cannot stand there and tell me it is the best when I see it is killing the girl I once knew. I want to help you, Rin… even if you do not want me to. Possibly, at the end of this entire thing, I can hope you can figure me out after knowing the entire truth and be happy again. But now… with you current façade… Rin, you are too delicate", Sesshoumaru icily comforts. "Delicate… nice to see how much faith you have in a girl you knew—well, Sesshoumaru… this broken girl, with her broken heart, isn't as fragile as you believe. I control my wants… and right now, I want to be very, very… far… away", she breathes as she paces back down the hall and into the darkness.

Awaiting the tell tale signs of Sesshoumaru heading back up the hallway, Rin lets out a silent sob as she continues trudging down the hall. Alone, Rin walks past the rooms, passing the one marked with her name and into the final room, with no labels or markings. Opening the door, she creeps inside, quickly locking the door shut and barricading the entry with a wooden chair next to the room's entrance. Flicking on the lights, she merely blinks at the familiarity of the room before sighing in defeat. Looking to the bookcase at the left of the door entrance, she notices a half empty bottle of vodka and a shot glass on the end table and walks over to pour herself a quick drink.

After gulping down a few shots, she dims the lights in the room before creeping into the private bathroom across the entrance and proceeding to slowly remove the remainder of her clothes. Standing nude in front of the massive bathroom mirror, she quickly looks away as dark thoughts begin to fill her mind. Reaching into the discarded remains of her clothes, she pulls out a set of yellow pills, hidden within the cup of her corset and downs it without any question as she fills the tub with piping hot water. After a few precious moments to herself, she turns off the pipe and climbs into the tub, watching as her skin immediately flushes at the sudden rush of heat. Closing her eyes, Rin lies back and waits for her hallucinations to give way as silent tears race down her cheeks.

* * *

Outside the gates of the mansion, a silver haired man pulls the lapels of his overcoat up to protect against the wind as he briskly walks away from the search lights surrounding the mansion. Once he was positive that no one was following his tracks, Hakudoshi pulls out his cell phone and calls in his secret helper. "Did you give him what he wanted?", he speaks into the device, knowing she answered. "Yes, and I even got him to guarantee Kagura's safety. Did you manage to corner the truth out of Kikyo?", she asks impatiently. "Of course. You wouldn't happen to know if they got whiff of our operation?" "No, I'm just nice little Kanna, remember brother?", she laughs. "Just be careful around this Naraku fellow. He seems a little overbearing", Hakudoshi warns. "Same to you… he knows of your condition… so he'll use it against you", Kanna pouts over the phone.

"Psh… if he doesn't want to be on the wrong end of my other side then Hihi better watch himself", he notes. "Okay, brother. I have to go. Make sure you take your meds, otherwise you know what would happen… he'll appear again", Kanna whispers. "Will do, sis… I'm still trying to clean the tracks of that Seiga incident. She's not my personal type but I guess she does appeal to my other side… How was I supposed to know Miko meant her mouthy friend… she doesn't look as attractive to me", he jokes. "Hakudoshi… I'm going to leave that one alone. By the way, about the Ski Trip", Kanna frowns. "You need to socialize, Kanna. No one can have a hint of these dealings… it's almost over", and with that the silver haired man shuts the phone to end the conversation as he climbs into the dark BMW.


	13. Turning Tables

**Turning Tables**

As the hours wind down and the party disperses to a massive pile of people crashing within the living room area or in their guest rooms, Sesshoumaru has the guards relieved of their duty and returning to their regular rotation schedule as the wee morning hours peek. Opening the back entrance to the mansion, the staff on hand starts escorting people to their carpools and vehicles as long as no one left the mansion intoxicated. Once all were taken care of and the cleaning crew arrives with exasperated sighs of a day's work cut out for them, Sesshoumaru creeps up to the third floor of the mansion and stands at the head of the flight of stairs.

Closing his eyes, he listens intently for any sounds of awakening guest. Not wanting to face anyone in particular, he turns back around and continues up to the top floor of the mansion. On the top flight of stairs, hidden from all eyes but immediate family, was a switch to open a hidden bookcase doorway in the study room. Flipping the switch, Sesshoumaru descends to the flight of stairs until he reaches the second floor of the mansion. Quickly, he strides down the hall and into the study. With a timer set on the bookcase, he slides in behind the revolving shelf just before it shuts behind him. Letting out a breath of relief, he creeps up the narrow staircase behind the bookcase to a hidden door in his bedroom closet.

Punching in a code at the security alarm by the door handle, he opens the door and exits in his bedroom. Immediately he begins to loosen his tie, only to cease his actions upon noticing his desk chair barricading the doorway to his room. Silently shoving the chair out of the way, he does a quick surveillance of his bedroom. Closing his eyes again, he stills all of his movement to hear the signs of someone groaning, coming from his bathroom. "_I expect one of the mongrel's guests has made their way up here… I will not be courteous to the next intoxicated casualty_", he mentally confirms before opening the bathroom door slowly.

Dropping his guard, Sesshoumaru nearly slips into the bathroom, rushing to the pale girl lying in his bathtub. Ignoring the slosh of the water getting on the floor and all over his suit, he picks the girl up in his arms and begins to feel out for a pulse. His fear was alleviated when a slow, steady throb pulses against his fingertips. The girl stirs and she slowly opens her eyes to a disorientated haze before her. "Sesshoumaru?", she questions meekly. "Rin… You are cold…", he mutters. Rin laughs aloud only to end in a dry cough. "No shit Sherlock—I think I can feel my temperature better than you at this moment… why are you touching me? Don't tell me—another episode of your mixed messages", she slurs in a mocking tone of his voice. "Ms. Seiga… this is neither the time nor the place", he grunts, relinquishing his hold on her body and settling to hold her against the back of the tub.

"Then when is it the right time?", Rin dares as she takes Sesshoumaru's hand from her shoulder and drags it over her right bosom, in-taking a sharp breath at the sudden weight against her sensitive skin. Sesshoumaru stays immobile as the moment lingered on in an uncomfortable silence as Rin coy expression changes into a devious one as she glares daggers at him. Finally, he breaks the silence by standing up and pulling his hands away, allowing Rin to sink back into the tub all at once. "It's okay if you can't rise to the occasion. But before you walk away and leave me to believe that you find me so repulsive, do me a favor and stop making my head hurt…", she mumbles, slowly wading the water over her skin.

Sesshoumaru barely smirks before leaning over Rin's body, looming his lips just above hers as she suddenly stills herself in the tub at the close proximity. "Let us get this straight right now… You do not have insight into my psyche or my intentions—so do not assume anything… I am going to walk away and file this memory of you. Therefore, when you are finished dwelling on some inane sense of self-pity, you will find the appropriate arrangements for you to sleep in, on the table right outside this door. Moreover, if you were wondering, this Sesshoumaru would not take advantage of your fragile state that you continue to put up a front on. I would find other sleeping quarters for the evening", he erotically teases before slowly backing away, replacing his lust filled gaze with his usual stoic mask and walking out of the bathroom.

* * *

A couple of rooms down, two friends sit across from each other, dressed in their pajamas, taxed out after making a couple of surprising discoveries for the night. "Sango ditched me for Houshi… this sucks", Kagome groans. "It's probably not as bad as it looks. Although I admit, I thought she was smart enough not to let that letch get near her. But then again, she did go out with him. She was doomed from the start", InuYasha teases. "Stop! The images in my head… Besides, you're not allowed to talk about her that way!", Kagome defends playfully. "Come on, it's only fair game. Since you get to critique my friends, I'm merely commenting on yours…" "Psh, as if that's fair… compare to your friends, my friends are saints", she snorts. "Saints go around dancing on furniture, gyrating against strange boys, drink their asses off and sleep half naked next to the Feudal High's playboy… oh yeah, real angelic", InuYasha laughs.

"Better than having friends that get pissed drunk, so much that you can't trust as far as you can throw them, then disappear when you need them. Oh yeah, they also secretly plot against each other to gain materialistic possessions", she pouts. "Well when put it like that, maybe I should go around and stop trusting people since my judgment is usually so off", he growls under his breath. An awkward silence fills the room again as the last comment cause the two to glare at each other before shrugging away the tension with simultaneous deep breaths. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for", Kagome mutters. "Eh… don't worry about it… I get it, my friends… if I can even call them that… suck ass", InuYasha meekly replies. "Are you sure you don't want to go and look for Miko again?", Kagome gently questions. "No. After tonight, I don't want to think or speak to her…", InuYasha broods. "Someone once told me to give people the benefit of the doubt, right?", Kagome attempts to cheer up.

"And look where it has gotten me… You know—for someone who has been threatened time and time again by her, why do you care about Kikyo?", InuYasha snaps again. "Well, I did my research for one. You love her so she has to have some redeeming qualities. To put it frankly, you're stuck in a difficult situation. You're heart made be bruised right now but can your family afford to cater to your whims if you choose to break things off with her? Yeah she's associated with a criminal but right now, it's our word against hers. Perhaps, you just need to sleep on it and hopefully after your senior trip; you two can work things out… ", she meekly explains, looking away from the silver haired teen across from her.

"I don't know if I can forgive her…You know—out of all my friends… you're the first one who was able to understand… maybe you're right… maybe Miroku was right… maybe I was a fool in falling in love with her", he lightly voices as it was his turn to look away. "No, InuYasha… if there's one thing I learned is that you never apologize for love… no matter how painful… It's one of the things that make me ignore the stupid things you do… As long as you have the memory of a person's good intentions, life can go on. Besides—love is beautiful but that doesn't ever mean that it's always happy", Kagome comforts, giving the solemn boy a comforting smile. Silence remains between the two as they let that comment linger in the air.

Suddenly Kagome eeps at the sound of her alarm ringing from her overnight bag. Groaning in weariness, she hops off her bed and turns off the offensive ringing. While doing so, a small package falls out of her bag and she nervously tries to cover it. "What's that?", InuYasha asks, pointing to the object Kagome was desperately trying to hide behind her back. Kagome sighs, picking up the decorative box, she tentatively hands it to InuYasha before having a seat next to him. "Well… I was thinking friends give other friends gifts occasionally, right?", she begins. "Psh… If you wanted something, you could've just asked", he jokes. "Ha, ha, ha. Real funny InuYasha. Besides, I don't want anything from you. You had given me so much already, even if it was just through association, it changed my world. So I thought, what could I get a boy who seemingly has everything in the world? Well, I figured it out…", Kagome concludes as she watches InuYasha unwrap the small box.

Carefully awaiting his reaction, Kagome holds her breath as she watches his face with anticipation. Pulling off the lid, InuYasha was speechless at the contents inside the small box. It was a chain made of canine like teeth and large, rounded black stones. "Do you like it? It was my father's. He used to wear it for luck and safety on trips. My mother wanted me to wait until I was married to give it to my future husband but I without the makeup and glam that you have given me, I doubt anyone would look at me that way and… I just thought it would just look really good on you. Then again, I'm not the fashion expert like Kagura…", Kagome rambles on before being cut short when InuYasha's lips slowly met hers. The two lingered in that position for a second longer before pulling away shyly, with levels of surprise on their faces.

"Uh…", InuYasha begins to stammer at watching the play of emotions across Kagome's face. "Uh… so that was… I guess you really liked the gift, huh?", Kagome mumbles as she turns her eyes to her hands, twiddling her thumbs as InuYasha reaches over and lifts her face with his fingertips. "I've gotten gifts before… but never something that means so much… you're truly one in a million, Kagome… and even without all the makeup and glam, you would still be just as beautiful", he whispers. Heart racing from the comment, Kagome raises her fingertips to trail against his before gently leaning forward and shyly pressing her lips against his. Refusing to make any sudden movements, the two linger in the light touch, too nervous to move any further. Growing bored with anticipation, InuYasha drops his hands from Kagome's face and gingerly begins tracing small circles on her thin, smooth, shoulders as her hands lowered in shyness.

Finally, taking pause in her actions, Kagome pulls her head back and moves herself back to her bed. "What's wrong?", InuYasha finally questions upon finding his breath. "InuYasha—this isn't right… We're both emotionally vulnerable and… it's just not the right time. You're still—we're both… A simple thank you would have sufficed. But I shouldn't kiss you like… I can't kiss you like that, at least not without having it mean something—something I'm… we're not anywhere ready for. So right now, let's just take two steps back… and go to bed." Immediately, she turns away, prepping her bedding as reddening flush in her cheeks cool down.

InuYasha merely chuckles at Kagome's antics before nodding his head in agreement. "Leave it to you to ruin the moment you've been waiting for by being rational", he mutters as a flying pillow nearly misses his head. "Just make sure you enjoy your trip", she mutters as she watches him put the necklace on around his neck. "I will. Thanks for being you, Kagome", he jokes before settling down to sleep. Kagome lightly giggles before whispering 'sweet dreams' to her roommate. "_I don't know what I did to deserve meeting a girl like Kagome… maybe I can find something to get her while I'm away on Hawaii—Crap, I still have to face Kikyo. I'll deal with that in a couple of hours_", he mentally ponders before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Even further down the hall, Sango wakes up screaming bloody murder at the way she finds herself in the morning. Immediately, Miroku jumps out of the bed in fright as Sango chases him around the room screaming, "YOU DIDN'T! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T, YOU FUCKING PERVERT!" Finally after 5 minutes of a chase, the entire staff patrolling and cleaning the corridors finds themselves called to the attentions of the room as ears were unknowingly pressed against their door. "You know… I didn't get a chance to enjoy them last night but your underwear is pretty sexy. I wouldn't have peg you for a girl that likes pink—it's so feminine", Miroku pants as Sango throws a lamp at his head while subconsciously trying to pull his shirt over her scantily clad butt.

Luckily, Miroku ducks just in time to be hit with the edge of a flying alarm clock. Falling to the ground, Miroku gently nurses the knick from the bleeding cut against his forehead before attempting to stand up again. Immediately Sango grabs the next thing she can find and it being an empty glass of water, aims the glass at him. Miroku cowers slightly before pleading, "before you practice another round of target shooting, would just give me a few minutes to explain…" Sango places the glass down slowly and breathes, "You have 60 seconds…" Taking the chance to move closer to her, Miroku wearily shoves aside all sharp objects in his path before standing before Sango.

"This looks bad… I know. But I was just trying to take care of you… you were wasted from last night. There was no way I could get you safely to your room and then quickly find Kagome without being sure you would barf on yourself. So I made do with what I had… I made sure you were okay and put you bed. Scouts honor, I didn't see anything or touch you inappropriately. You dressed yourself—you were able to do that by yourself. As a matter of fact, I fell asleep trying to keep you warm", Miroku whispers, slowly grabbing the glass from Sango's hand and putting it on the countertop behind her.

Sango lets out the fuming breath she was holding, only to whisper in annoyance, "You couldn't find an extra blanket anywhere in the room?" "I originally tucked you with the one that was on my bed… but I guess that wasn't enough. So if you want to hit me for taking care of you in a gentleman fashion, go ahead and get it over with", Miroku breathes. Tensions slowly descends in the room as the couple stood, glaring at the other for a while. Finally, Miroku looks away dejectedly as Sango turns away and rushes into the bathroom. Pulling his hand away from the wound on his head, Miroku was surprised when the sound of running water quickly ended as Sango came bustling out of the bathroom with a running start and piggybacks him as she kisses his forehead.

A mantra of "I'm sorry", barely breezed through Sango's lips before Miroku grabs hold of her legs and casually spins her around to cradle his torso as their lips met on contact. The two pull apart after a couple of moments before Miroku settles Sango back on her feet. "I'm really sorry, Houshi… let me make it up to you", she teases while gingerly dancing her fingers against his smooth chest. "Sango…", Miroku murmurs as his mouth runs dry. Immediately Sango drops her fingers, muttering, "I'll start with cleaning that wound", running back into the bathroom for a first aid kit. "That's a nice beginning… but you going to have to do more if you want to make it up to me", Miroku jokes when Sango reappears with an antibacterial spray and a couple of decorative Band-Aids.

Giving him a pointed look, Sango simply scoffs before instructing Miroku to sit. He does so without another question as he holds his breath in surprise as Sango climbs on top of him. Sitting cowgirl style across his lap, she rests her knees outside his legs as she starts to clean the knick on his forehead. Licking his lips at the sight of Sango's chest directly in his face, Miroku's palms rest against the dip in her back as he curses the size of his shirt hiding her delicate curves. But the sting of the spray, interrupts his arousal as he fights not to wince with Sango's care. "How about we call it even after I take you out for ice cream", she giggles. "Uh huh… as long as I get to watch you eat it…" "Shh… be good and maybe I'll consider doing just that", she whispers wiping away the blood. "Yes ma'am", he mutters before sitting up straight as Sango kisses the band-aid she finishes placing.

* * *

With the wee morning hours passing by into the early afternoon, the occupants of the mansion either slumbered away or attended to their own needs as they left the remaining wreckage of the party in drones of carpools. Finally, the massive estate lies quiet as the last of its guests soon approach the kitchen for a late morning brunch session.

First, to attend the kitchen dining area was Ayame and Kouga. Both were trying so hard to desperately avoid the other as they entered opposite entrances to the kitchen. Still dressed in their party outfits from the previous night with minor untidy changes, they sat down at opposite ends of long breakfast counter, giving the rushing cooks their selection for brunch. Uncomfortable silence fills the large soundproof room before the subject of their discord finally enters the area, dressed in a simple pair of dark skinny jeans and a loose grey t-shirt with her party boots on and the curl remnants of her hair tied into a loose low ponytail, drawing all attention to her as she takes a seat next to Ayame. "Good morning, Ayame. I thought I saw you during the party last night. Where did you crash?", Kagome cheerfully greets. "Uh… hey, Kagome. I really don't remember much outside of—passing out at the end of the night… thanks for asking, though. I think I'll go home and shower now", she meekly dismisses as she leaves the kitchen in as much of haste as she had entered it in.

Shrugging her shoulders in confusion, Kagome turns to Kouga only to see him immediately follow Ayame out of the room. Before she can question the coincidence, in walks Yura, Kikyo, Kanna, and Kagura, dressed in similar garb but with designer labels, chatting amongst themselves about the rumors they spread during the party. Taking seats at the opposite end of the counter from Kagome, they continue their idle chatter while Kagome's breakfast finally comes and is placed in front of her. "Good morning ladies, did you enjoy yourselves at the party last night?", she greets again, despite their apparent disregard of her presence. "You know, Higurashi… with Seiga dancing on tables and making herself available to half the guests, and Tajiya caught in the same bed as Miroku, rumor has it that they are the new sluts of the school. So what does that say about you?", Kikyo begins.

Kagome simply smiles to herself, taking a bite out of the plate of pancakes in front of her before replying curtly with, "That's so funny. I didn't know my intentions mattered to you. That's nice of you to care but you should probably worry about having your boyfriend catch you with another man. Rumor has it that you're a complete egotistical, gold digging bitch. I guess that goes to show we can't always rely on the things we hear/see these days without knowing the entire story" Immediately Kikyo rises from her seat and rushes towards Kagome, raising a hand to attack her as Kagome stands defiantly. Luckily, Sesshoumaru entering the kitchen area, intrudes the dispute with a light chuckle, causing Kikyo to pause in her actions at his entrance. "Well put, Ms. Higurashi…. Ms. Miko finds herself rather embarrassed in front of her peers so her actions are highly miscalculated. Will you care to tell this Sesshoumaru where you happen to hear of these rumors and of to what degree, Ms. Miko?", he snides. "Well I'm sure you manage to overhear the loud dispute in Miroku and my Inu's room this morning…", she begins to mumble as she lowers her hand.

As soon as those words were mentioned, the subjects of the conversation arrive in the kitchen area, dressed in a pair of complimentary black and white sweaters and straight leg jeans, their laughter calming down as they enter the silent kitchen area. "Are we missing something?', Sango asks upon taking a seat next to Kagome. "What happened to your head?", Yura scoffs, nearly laughing upon catching sight of the children's Band-Aids and lipstick prints on Miroku's forehead. "Oh—I like it a bit rough…", he begins to say before intercepting deadly glares from his girlfriend. "And Sango is completely serious about her chastity… she nearly beat me to a pulp when after waking up in the same room as me, let alone the same bed", he sighs dejectedly. "I don't mind the room, Houshi—it's the bed part that still bothers me…", she frowns as she takes a bite out of Kagome's plate.

"If that's all, then why bother trying to make up a lie about it… and after all that commotion this morning", Yura yawns as their gathering return to their previous conversations and seating arrangements with Sesshoumaru taking a seat on the opposing side of Kagome, placing himself between Kikyo's friends and Kagome's comrades. Suddenly, InuYasha comes down the flight of stairs, dressed in a red t-shirt and black designer jeans. Instead of making his usual run to his betrothed, he bypasses her seat while the kitchen watches in shock as he kisses Kagome's forehead, murmuring a light "Good morning". Kikyo clears her throat as the entire room turns to her for her reaction. "Inu, darling, where were you last night? I was looking for you during the entire party so we can talk", she smiles. "Was that before or after you made out with that guy?", InuYasha seethes as tension rises in the room.

The expressions on Kikyo's face plays out slowly as she seriously considered what her next course of action would include. Finally, putting on a blank mask, she turns away from her friends before walking up to InuYasha, whispering harshly, "You want to talk, then meet me upstairs, away from this". Kikyo storms out of the room, with InuYasha trailing after her, leaving the remaining occupants of the kitchen dumbfounded at the unsaid dispute. Brunch continues on quietly as silence stills the room once again. Miroku takes his seat next to Sango, not wishing to cause any more disturbances during a peaceful morning routine.

"Speaking of sleeping arrangements, where is your other friend, Rin?", Kanna patiently questions aloud. "We lost track of her during the party… she was supposed to room with Yura…", Kagome begins. The sound of damp footsteps sounded from the stairwell and through the kitchen as the subject of Kagome's worry enters, soaking wet, and body slightly pruned, wrapped in only a towel and heading towards the refrigerator behind the massive dining counter as the room stares in silence. Closing the fridge, she turns to the counter, only to jump in shock. "What are you guys looking at?", she grumbles. "Rin… what the hell? Where are you clothes? What happened last night?", Kagome inquires.

"One—it's none of your darn business. Two—grow a pair and stop acting like my mom… I made it the past decade without one and I can continue on fine", she snips. "What crawled up your butt and died? I've been looking for you during the entire party that _you_ made me come to. I'm sure you enjoyed yourself—no biggie but I've been too good a friend to listen to this bull this morning. That's a lot more than I can say for you at times", Kagome retorts. "Oh, is that so? A good friend—wouldn't have allowed me to make a fool of myself last night. But you're right, no harm no foul. I'm currently, the hottest Party Queen at Feudal High", Rin grumbles while tightening her towel. "You can't have it both ways, Rin. Either you want me to be a friend or let you party. Besides—you did that yourself. How many times did I tell you to take it easy on the drinks?", Kagome defends.

"Well, we can't all be miss goody two shoes and magically have all the attention on us, now can we? Sorry that I decided to loosen up and have fun in the process. You don't have to sit there and lie… You could've at least made an effort to look for me. If I remember correctly, you were too busy yourself", Rin argues back, directing her attention towards Sesshoumaru. Following Rin's eye gestures, Kagome starts coughing in disbelief. "WHAT?! Rin, I have no idea what you're even suggesting. But I think it's high time you climb back into bed before you say something you don't really mean", Kagome demands as she stands and walks around the counter to try to turn her friend back in the direction of the staircase.

Rin shrugs out of Kagome's touch, moving to push her out of the way only to have Kagome intercept her actions and grab hold of her arms. Kagome pulls Rin's small body against her own, standing an entire head taller, she hugs the girl from behind as she restrains her arms. "Tell me it wasn't you…", Rin mutters as she lowers her head so that her wet bangs hid her eyes. "Rin… what do you think I did?", Kagome sympathizes as she loosens her hold on the girl's body. Sango, not wishing for this issue to be public, stands from her seat and pushes both of her friends out of the kitchen and into the living room area. The remaining audience turns back to their conversations while Miroku ponders whether he should follow the trio or go and comfort his best friend. His answer was the grumbling of his stomach as he remains seated to eat his meal.

* * *

"Do you seriously think that you can break up… with me? Don't you know who I am? I made you. I'm the one thing keeping your family's company logo on all their investments. My father controls the royalties of the press… and you seriously want to break up with me because you think you caught me with my hands around some guy. You don't hear me saying anything when you fucking kissed that bitch in front of me and all our friends. What am I supposed to think? Magically you guys became close friends after not knowing each other even existed all these years? As if you guys were seriously studying at all those late hours. Nevermind that you felt you had to lie and make excuses to me, your future fiancé, just to cover your sense of pride. If I didn't think I knew you so well, I would've thought you were the planning this break-up", Kikyo cries dramatically.

InuYasha sighs before exploding, "FIRST OF ALL, MY FAMILY DOESN'T NEED YOU OR YOUR FAMILY… NOT TO CLEAN UP OUR PUBLICITY MESSES OR TO CONTINUE HAVING OUR FORTUNE… THE ONLY REASON WE HAVE FOR REMAINING IN THIS MERGER WITH MIKO IS OUR RELATIONSHIP. SECOND, WHAT THE FUCK DO I CARE ABOUT WHAT THE REST OF THE SCHOOL THINKS OF ME! ITS SENIOR YEAR, IT'S NOT AS IF I'M GOING TO SEE ANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE AFTER THIS YEAR! THIRD, I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO IGNORE ALL THE FUCKING WHISPERING ABOUT YOU CHEATING ON ME BEFORE LAST NIGHT. THE ONLY PROBLEM YOU HAVE AGAINST KAGOME IS JEALOUSY BECAUSE THAT GIRL HAS MANAGED TO GET MY ATTENTION BY JUST BEING HER FUCKING SELF. SO GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND GET LOST…. I'm done with you."

Kikyo merely shrieks in horror as InuYasha turns his back on her. Tears finally stream down her face, to add to the dramatic emotion in her voice. Crumpling to the ground, she wraps her arms around herself as InuYasha force his ears to turn deaf to her act. "But… InuYasha… I'm pregnant…", she whispers in defeat. "If this is another trick, Kikyo. God help you, because that isn't funny…", he breathes, turning back around to face the girl on the floor. "I'm serious. That's what I wanted to talk to you about, during the party but I got so scared of what you would say and then one thing lead to another and I started drinking way too much and I ended up kissing some random guy. I don't even remember what I was talking about or if I was talking at all… ", Kikyo explains as InuYasha walks over to her.

Setting her on her feet, he gently wipes away her tears before asking, "Are you sure it's even mine?" Kikyo scoffs, pulling herself away from his arms as she storms away from the room in anger. InuYasha was about to chase after her when Sesshoumaru voice resonates over the loud speakers, hidden in the ceiling reaching columns in each room: "All senior students report to the entrance hall. The departure limousine for your excursion has arrived to escort you to the school campus. Thank you." Shaking his head in disbelief, InuYasha rushes upstairs to grab his luggage instead, to face the longest, sexless vacation in his life. "_At least, I can look forward to starting things with Kagome on a clean slate_", he mentally reassures himself.

* * *

"What more is there to talk about? You took my virginity Kouga, whether you were aware of it or not. I'm appalled that you would place yourself on a high standing when you wronged me so many times that I don't even know if I want to be your intended anymore", Ayame complains. "You know you can't leave me even if you wanted to. We're bounded by your grandfather's will… the Ookami and Urufu families are destined to combine and since I'm the last unmarried specimen in my family that leaves you to me. Therefore, if you want your inheritance you need me as well… So until we become tied together, you would shut your fucking mouth when I tell you too", Kouga instructs, ignoring the angry tears racing down Ayame's face.

"How dare you?! The only reason your family is even mentioned in the will was because I asked my grandfather on his deathbed to make sure his one and only granddaughter has everything she wants. At the time, I had a crush on you but you didn't even look my way. Then your family got involved and we're stuck in this mess. Moreover, to make matters worse, I didn't say anything when you continue to blatantly disregard my existence when you suddenly joined the popular crowd. I didn't say anything while you were pursuing this girl even when you should be courting me. I didn't say anything when you kept calling me Kagome, when it was supposed to be my most memorable moment in my life. Now you expect me to continue to lie quietly as you make a fool of me the rest of my high school life? What makes you think you have so much control me?", she growls. Suddenly, Kouga moves lightning fast across the narrow guest bathroom, a smirk donning his lips as he corners Ayame against the wall of the shower.

Lifting her chin with the fingertip of his forefinger, he plants a chaste kiss against Ayame's lips before breathing, "Because you're more than in love with me. You'll die for me. You'll live for me. You yearn for the very day that you can have me all to yourself. So for now, you're trapped by your own powerless self. And you will remain silent until you have power within your grasp…" Immediately Kouga turns away, leaving a gasping Ayame to fall on her knees on the tiled floor, as he makes his exit from his guestroom and down to the entrance. "You'll see what I'll have a plan, Kouga Ookami… you'll see…", she mutters before exiting the room herself.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the living room area, the usual trio was having an unusual fight. "Ever since you got this new look, you've changed… And to be honest we all did but getting a makeover shouldn't change your beliefs. What are we to believe now? You won't talk to us every time we have our get-togethers or our girl's night, and then during the school day, you go out of your way to avoid your classes and us. I know you hate the idea of hanging out with our enemies but we have to do it too. And what makes it worse is that you're taking your anger out on Kagome. KAGOME?! Of all people, she's the one who never does anything but goes the extra mile to make sure you're okay", Sango scolds the towel wrapped girl.

"I can get over the latter, but Rin… I just really want you to talk to us again… who cares if we only had two years on us, I can't help but to feel as if you're the little sister Sango and I never had. So don't take Sango's barking orders…", Kagome begins as Sango shouts a "Hey! What does that mean?!" "Or my worrying rampage the wrong way… but don't push us away either", Kagome finishes. Rin readjusts the towel under her arms before flopping onto the massive leather sofa under her friend's worried frown. "Stop—you want me to talk… I'll talk but you won't like what you hear and I don't need you guys scolding me about it for now…", Rin begins as she waits for Kagome and Sango to have a seat beside her.

"After things went south with—let's just say he led me on with false pretenses. Yeah, I can say fuck it and call him a jerk but he made a strong point in explaining why we can't be together. Even if it was sudden and out of nowhere—I depend a lot on the people around me. If I ever want to grow and mature enough to be taken seriously, I have to learn to do things for myself. I'm tired of being seen as this fragile thing just because I'm a rape victim. No one wants to see me past that and the only guy that had possibly did—shatter my heart. He has someone else to fulfill his curiosity where I cannot. If that means avoiding, changing from the girl, everyone knew, then so be it. No offense, Sango but I made some new friends that let me be in charge. As for Kagome, these very friends don't distract me with compliments and false senses of security. This makeover gave me the ammo I needed to take charge", Rin pouts.

"Well, if you want to hang with them, I guess its fine. Though you need stop the extreme behavior of kissing random boys in the hallway. You do know you can catch something like that. I don't want to hear the circumstances, just stop doing it", Sango orders before storming out of the room. "Rin… I hope you come to your senses again", Kagome whispers before planting a kiss on the younger girl's forehead and dropping a small package in her hands. "See you on the ski trip then", Rin whispers back as Kagome exits the room in solemn. Waiting until she was absolutely alone, Rin picks up the gift and drops it into a nearby trash bin. "_I'm sorry—until I can get my thoughts in order I just can't trust you… let alone myself anymore…_", she mentally whimpers before heading back upstairs to change into clothes.

* * *

With the beginning of the holidays approaching, every guest soon left the Takahashi estate with merry wishes and high expectations of the holiday cheer to come for their vacation. For the seniors of Feudal High, this meant a warm getaway to their Hawaiian senior trip. For Sesshoumaru, with his parents away on their seasonal business trip and his brother not irking his nerves, he spends this lonely holiday having the employees take off until new years while he grades midterms and prepare for his departure from Feudal High, in the comforts of his study. For Kagome and her family, it means a trip to go visit her Jiji's hometown and help him with the tours of the local shrine on site. It was a family tradition for them to entertain tourists on their holidays. For Kouga and Ayame, after the surprising result of the excessive partying, which neither wanted to talk about, this year, their families chose to celebrate alone rather than at the usual annual gathering.

Needless to say, Ayame started plotting her path to Kouga's heart after his demeaning talk with her. In the contrary, for Sango and Miroku, they decided to celebrate the holidays together. Miroku, taking the chance to introduce his grandfather/guardian, Mushin, to Sango's dad, Goshenki, was a nervous wreck. Let's just say, the actual confrontation left Miroku sleeping in the yard, when his habits were revealed to have come from the male lineage of his family. Finally, uncomfortable with spending the holidays alone, Rin decides to visit her father in the rehab clinic on the outskirts of town.

After taking two buses and walking a quarter of a mile, Rin walks through the security checkpoint, nervous and anxious to have this candid sit down with her father. Months ago, she had Sesshoumaru to distract her from the dreariness of the situation. Then as of lately, that role was on Sango, Kagome, or any arrangement of her new friends. Today, she had him all by her lonesome self and had no idea what to say. As the guards guide her to her father's private room, she checks over her appearance in the glare of passing glass windows. Smoothing out her braided pigtails, she ruffles her bangs before smoothing out her green, strapless, bubble hemline, cotton Christmas dress. The guard opens the door, nearly shoving Rin in before warning her to ring the bell twice when she was ready to leave.

In a corner of the room, sits Kenshin, sipping on hot chocolate with a peppermint straw as he awaits the undivided attention of his daughter. "Hey, dad. Long time no see. How's life been treating you?", she calmly greets, placing the box that was his present beside her. "Rin… what happened—you look so different… like Masami." "Thanks. We talked about this last time—remember? I was with my friend Shouta. On the plus side my life is a little better—I'm sitting with the popular kids these day", she replies, taking a seat across the small coffee table in front of him. "I'm sorry, doll. I've just been scatterbrained lately. You know, with the effects of the withdrawal. But the doctors say I'm making progress. Maybe I can make it home before you enter junior year", Kenshin announces.

Rin smiles weakly as she takes hold of her father's palms against hers. "That's great, dad. I have something for you." Rin hands over the box with gentle care before waiting for his reacting as she watches the unveiling intently. Silence soon fills the room as Kenshin remains stark still while looking at the contents of the gift. "Rin…", he begins. "Merry Christmas!", she smiles before fingering the large frame.

Kenshin picks up the picture frame, walking away as he reminisces the memories behind the two meshed photoshopped photos. The first half of the photo contained an older, blond version of his daughter. His deceased wife, Masami, was smiling as she held onto 3-year-old Rin tightly while he posed behind the swing set. He remembers how the sun reflecting the shimmer on the photo would make the skin on Masami glow. He remembers how she and Rin's hair would fly with the swinging force of the passing wind with each push he gave towards his pride and joy. Those were the good days; before the extra long work hours, the affairs, and the addictions. Returning back to reality, he gets a second look at his 16-year-old daughter and smiles as she has the familiar worry look on her eyebrows mirroring what Masami used to do when she stayed up all night waiting for him.

He looks at the second half of the picture and lightly chuckles as the memory nearly brings tears to his eyes. Kenshin stands beside a 12-year-old Rin with her old stuff bear as she smiles through tears in front of their new home. The home they lived in as of now. He remembers how tightly she clings to his hand when they first moved there.

~*~FLASH BACK~*~

She was new to the town and after living with her grandparents while he recoup after the death of Masami for the past couple of years, she was reclusive. He wanted to have his silly, loud daughter back but without the haunting memories of the old home. So he brought this place and even picked out a middle school across town so they can drive together every morning.

It was just the thing she needed since her grandparents were ill and soon to depart this world. A new home would be a great distraction. But after not seeing him for so long, he was very unfamiliar to her and needless to say, she didn't talk much. He worries about whether she'll like her new room, or if she'll be able to make friends, or if she'll ever talk to him. Finally, it was the familiar tug on his hand, breaking him from his worries as he had peered down at his little girl. "Daddy… let's make some new memories here. We can even pretend mommy is still alive if you want", she meekly pleads.

Kenshin allows a single tear to fall as he crouches down to face his little girl. "Rin… I know the last memory you had of me wasn't so great… but let's just make memories about us. I'm sorry that I got so upset about mommy. Daddy was just so tired from work and when you knocked over mommy's ashes… I guess I lost it. That's no excuse for what I did to you. You're my beautiful baby girl and I would never put my hands on you again", he vows.

He wonders at the way Rin smiles before receiving her teddy bear as she carefully places it in his hands. "Remember how I cried after you—well Teddy and I picked up all of mommy and put her back. We're really sorry, daddy. Grandma and grandpa made us realize what we did wrong. We already apologize to mommy but we needed to apologize to you", she whimpered. Kenshin grabs his daughter in a fierce hug before kissing her forehead while muttering, "I love you… my little Masami."

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

Returning to reality, Kenshin nearly jumps in shock when Rin waves a hand in front of his face. "Don't scare me like that, dad. I thought I caused you to relapse or something…", Rin mutters.

"I have a song for you. I need to sing it for myself too…. But here goes—", Rin breathes as she takes a deep breath in before humming the beginning to Lea Michele's "Get It Right". "_What have I done? I wish I could run… Away from this ship—going under… Just trying to help, hurt everyone else… Now I feel—the weight of the world is, on… my… shoulders…_", she begins before taking hold of his hands. "_What can you do, when your good—isn't good enough… And all that you touch, tumbles down… Cause my best intentions, keep making—a mess of things… I just wanna fix it—some… how… But how many times, will it take… Oh, how many times, will it take for me… to get it right… to get it right…_" Dropping his hands, she stands from her seat as she continues.

"_Can I start—again… with my faith shaken? Cause I can't, go back—and undo this… I just have to, stay… and face my mistakes… But if I get—stronger and wiser… I'll… get… through… this… What can you do, when your good—isn't good enough… And all that you touch, tumbles down… Cause my best intentions, keep making—a mess of things… I just wanna fix it—some… how… But how many times, will it take… Oh, how many times, will it take for me… to get it right… to get it right…_"

Taking pause in her actions, she closes her eyes as she puts empathy into the words of the song. "_So I throw up my fist… throw a punch in the air… and accept the truth—that sometimes life, isn't fair… Yeah, I'll send out a wish… yeah, I'll send up a prayer… And finally—someone will see, how much I—care… What can you do, when your good—isn't good enough… And all that you touch, tumbles down… Cause my best intentions, keep making—a mess of things… I just wanna fix it—some… how… But how many times, will it take… Oh, how many times, will it take…_" Retaking her seat, she finishes the song, with a solemn smile on her lips. "_To get it right… to get it right…_", she harmonizes.

Suddenly Kenshin puts down the picture frame to hug his daughter tightly. "I'll get better, Rin. You're mother would want me to be there for you as well. And I'm sure Gramps and Gran are looking out for me as well. But I'll get better", he whispers. "Great dad. I'm looking forward to it", she smiles.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the study of the large Victorian fashioned estate, a short, red haired teenage boy with bright emerald eyes sits, awaiting the wrath of his elder, silver haired cousin. "This Sesshoumaru has instructed you with a specific mission to infiltrate. Now you are trying to request permission to deter from the goal so that you can seek your desire? What progress have you shown that will make this Sesshoumaru reconsider you request so highly?", the silver haired man commands with his icy voice.

"I told you before I agree to this that there was this girl I liked. Now she sees me hanging around Rin all the time and people are starting to say things. I already apologize for the jokes I made a few times—how was I supposed to know she was going to kiss me. Shiori—she gets jealous. Maybe she won't admit but I know what I see. All I'm saying is that if you bring both me and Shiori into the school, we can keep a closer eye on her and won't have to wait around for Rin's habits to falter again. Plus, from what I hear, Rin needs a new girlfriend anyhow. Her bad habits are pushing away her friends… no matter how much they try to help or figure out", the young boy deliberates.

"It will all be taken under deliberation but before I can consider working on that ideal, this Sesshoumaru needs you to enroll on the upcoming Ski Trip as well. Continue telling no one of your true identity and I will work on the aforementioned offer. Is this understood?" "Really?! Thanks, cuz! You won't regret the decision I promise. Besides, no one will think we're related. My last name is ways away from yours and I always wear my disguise when around Rin, her friends and other people. Not even InuYasha could pick me out, but then again… he's not so bright", the young boy jokes as he makes his way out of the room. "I mean it, Shippou. If this is going to work, you're going have to fill in the instructions to your little girlfriend. I cannot afford any slip ups in this plan", Sesshoumaru dismisses while the young boy closes the door to the study.

"_Aside from that… I still have to figure out Naraku's ulterior motives and how to get rid of Kagura… when did high school started becoming so complicated_", he mentally chastises before closing away his briefcase of school reports and proceeding to head to bed.


	14. New Year, New Drama

**New Year, New Drama**

The holiday week went by with fewer incidents than most as the star group of friends return from the Hawaiian senior trip with a few days grace before the school wide Ski Trip. During the warm adventure, InuYasha made it a mission to avoid Kikyo with contact except for posing awkwardly for candid shots for the yearbook. It wasn't until the return of the seniors from their trip that there was public declaration of the potential removal of Miko Cosmetics from Takahashi Enterprises. Naraku, taken aback by the miscalculations in his plan and begins to redraft his master plan. Coaching Kikyo to try to make amends with InuYasha, he instructs Kanna and Kagura to work their own agendas while he helps Kikyo build up a solid case with her parents as for the fault in the resulting split.

Deep inside the Victorian fashioned estate, the Takahashi family finally dismisses their lawyers before collectively heading into InuTaisho's study for a brief overview. Sesshoumaru sits across from InuYasha as both sons await their parents' personal scolding with tense faces. Izayoi paces the room as her husband reviews the potential losses of breaking the contracted arrangement with Miko Cosmetics. The media frenzy long gone after the family made a public announcement about the new company changes; InuYasha chooses the moment to make a desperate call to the girl who has been able to keep him from falling apart during his Hawaiian escape.

"Hey, InuYasha—are you okay?", Kagome's worried voice drift through InuYasha's Bluetooth. "I'm fine—the entire world wants to know why Kikyo and I split but… I'm not ready to talk about it. It's bad enough that everyone thinks I'm the bad guy because her family has to claim bankruptcy to cover the dividends from the loss of the partnership deal. How the hell was I supposed to know that their share of my father's company was only guaranteed after we were married. I want to feel bad but I'm still mad at her… you can chime in anytime, here Gome", he speaks, flipping through online tabloids through his palm pilot. "InuYasha… maybe you should go back to her and try to talk things out", she suggests. An awkward silence develops between the two as unspoken volumes of despair filled the quiet void. "This again… To be honest you're the last person I expected to hear those words from…"

"You want to know why you're still mad about how things went down—you love her, InuYasha and I'll be a horrible friend to sit here and tell you otherwise. Okay—I'm not saying catching your fiancée cheating is nothing to be upset about but give her a benefit of a doubt. She was pretty wasted that night and she may have been too out of it…", Kagome begins to explain. "But you also recognized the guy who she was speaking to—my family is looking into her contacts but you were so positive that the guy she was speaking to was the one who attacked you… the voice—" "They were pretty far down the hall, InuYasha and I had a little to drink so my memories not all too right. Maybe I thought I heard my attacker… Bottom line, looking back on the days when I was part of the crowd, you guys looked pretty happy. Can you really throw away a 4 year relationship because you guys just had your first snag", Kagome solemnly breathes as InuYasha can hear the telltale signs of her bed creaking through the phone line.

"Why are you doing this? If this is about us—", he tries to divert again. "InuYasha, I already told you there can't be an us. It just wouldn't be right. Especially when you and I both know that you're in love with her…", she sighs. "…Fine. But we're still talking Kikyo, here—the girl responsible for being cruel to you and your friends, why are you turning the other cheek, now?" "If I remember correctly, you were once just as cruel to me, InuYasha. It was all to uphold an image. And we somehow turned out to be awesome friends. Maybe Kikyo and I need to work out our differences… look, just promise me, you'll let her make a change. If she doesn't then…", Kagome bitterly trails off. "Okay… I'll call you later—if I still can that is…", he promises. "I'll be waiting…", Kagome whispers before hanging up her line.

"That wasn't Miro—", Izayoi begins as she stops her pacing to let out the clips holding her hair up in a delicate French twist. "That was Natsuki's daughter—your tutor, Kagome, right? What's her opinion in all this?", InuTaisho questions his son as he tosses aside the documented briefs before grabbing a cigar from his pocket. "She wants me to give Kikyo another shot—", InuYasha explains before being interrupted by his mother's exasperated sighs. "Well that is out of the question—Kikyo grew up to be a lovely… oh, who am I kidding? I never really liked that girl's attitude and now she broke my son's heart… are you sure she's not pregnant by you?", she groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mom… the last time—there's just no way that can be my kid…", InuYasha blushes under his mother's amethyst gaze.

"Why couldn't you have decided to do this sooner? All these years merging with that stupid family and I blissfully ignored their spending habits into the joint account. You could've saved us a fortune by just starting some investigation on this scandal. Maybe then it will save your sanity", InuTaisho tsks as he clips one end of his cigar and lights it; ignoring InuYasha's wincing at his commentary.

Izayoi walks over to her husband and wraps her arms around his biceps, allowing her blanket of dark hair to cascade around his shoulders as she mutters, "Now, don't be so critical Taisho… he was in love and madly blinded by it. Can you blame him? It's not as if we made it easier by initially forcing the two together and work on the arrangement. Let's just count our blessing that Miko Cosmetics had already relinquished their company shares years ago and it was only these two that kept them financially tied. Besides, at the moment, I don't like the idea of having one heartbroken son…" "_Let alone two… and both equally stubborn_", she mentally finishes her statement as she rubs her husband's suited arms.

"Nonetheless, he must learn to take responsibility for his action… but I suppose that I could lessen your punishment to only require your attendance to all shareholder meetings… he can keep the keys to his vehicle", InuTaisho ponders aloud as he exhales a puff of smoke. "So let me get this straight, this Sesshoumaru brings home a brilliant, well-rounded young lady, albeit a bit young, and receive the Spanish Inquisition from you two yet the mongrel breaks off an engagement with his intended, possibly impregnates her, and has the PR team working overtime to put the Takahashi name in better light and gets a mere scolding. How adequate a punishment", Sesshoumaru glowers as he places down the packet of tabloid clippings with Kikyo &amp; InuYasha decorating the cover. "What, jealous? Maybe you should take my punishment", InuYasha pouts. "Either you truly believe that this Sesshoumaru has the same intelligence level as you or you really are just dense", Sesshoumaru teases.

Before InuYasha could reach across the room to attack his brother, Izayoi pulls away from InuTaisho and places herself between her sons, barricading one from the other while leaning on the desk in the study. "Now, that's enough boys… InuYasha, you're still grounded for the 'oh it's just a few friends' party you held. On top of this—the both of you are now responsible for finding someone to take as your new betrothed before either of you can access your share of the company…", she announces, earning the shocked faces of every male in the room. "Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable? They're still growing boys…", InuTaisho exhales, putting out the remainder of the cigar as he fingers his long silver locks held in a high ponytail. "It's about high time they take their personal lives seriously and grow up. InuYasha—I'm proud that you decided to go to university after you leave that school. And Sesshoumaru—you have been a shining example of corporate takeover but I was hoping you boys would find someone to settle down with before I turn old and gray", Izayoi pouts.

"You don't look like you've age a single day, darling—", InuTaisho started to comfort before being on the receiving end of a deadly glare from his wife. "Now that you've put it that way… We're not getting any younger and we would love for you boys to not only be professionally responsible but also personally stable. After this scandal with Miko merger dies down, you both have demons to battle to let the world know you're eligible bachelors", InuTaisho clears his throat just as Sesshoumaru dismisses himself from the room and InuYasha groans in disapproval. "What more do you want from us? The bastard is like a super genius, I'm already top sportsman…, and I even got my grades up", InuYasha begins to complain, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't know why you're complaining—from the sound of that conversation, Natsuki's daughter has a thing for you even if she's pushing you away for her own good", his father pries gently. "Come on dad… we're just friends. Really good friends… I sort of still feel shitty for all those years I used to torment her but nothing will come of our friendship—she doesn't want me", InuYasha admits.

"Then she's smart to not want you… for now. At least yourself has stop being so superficial ever since you met that girl", Izayoi comments before kissing her son's forehead and sending him on his way. With Izayoi and her husband left alone in the study, they both let out a sigh of relief as their sons begin getting ready for bed. "What are we to do Tai?", she worries as she takes a seat on her husband's lap. "For a moment there, it seems as if you had all the answers, my dear. Nevertheless, our boys have gotten themselves into an avalanche of trouble and for these troubles, they have to deal with it themselves. Unfortunately, people are more dramatic these days", InuTaisho comments.

"Is that so? If I remember correctly, there was once a young man who was so afraid of remarrying after his first wife passed that he locked himself in the home they built together. Unfortunately, he also locked his young son with him. However, as luck will have it, he couldn't escape everyone—especially the hired instructor for his son's home school lessons. With the help of the hired instructor, not only did the man's son speak again but also the cockles of the man's heart were warmed again. Then life moved on and the handsome man fell in love and married the instructor. Fate revealing that she was an heiress herself. Let's not forget the dramatic situations from my hostile temper and compassion for children and your low tolerance for anything not in order with the way you do things. I would say, that is a much more dramatic story then our boys have to deal with", she teases. "I don't think you would ever let me live down the day when I almost fired you for blaming me for Sesshoumaru's silent phase and here you go bringing it up again", InuTaisho laughs.

"Goes to show that if our boys have to deal with drama, they'll make it out okay. It's not as if they didn't start life already heading into it. They'll survive with some proper guidance", she assures her husband. InuTaisho picks up his wife and press a button underneath his desk to lock the door to his study as he places her on the desk to straddle him. "Yes, but can you survive my guidance?", he whispers before taking her on a ride.

* * *

A few days went by without much happening in the events of the lives of the characters. On a cold morning, the participants of the Ski Trip stand outside the front entrance of Feudal High, saying goodbye to their families for the last week of their winter recess as they prepare to board the coach buses to the Ski resort. Sesshoumaru, his final task as chaperone to the last bus to leave, does a final roll call of attendance for all the kids on his bus. Somehow, the kids on this bus were all the popular kids of Feudal High, with a few exceptions being Rin's new group of friends and a few underclassmen. Sesshoumaru rolls his eyes as he silences the gathering of teens before him, gaining their attention for his announcement.

"The following are the rules and guidelines this Sesshoumaru expects to be followed while you are his charge: One, remain with or at least have contact with your cabin companion at all times. So it is imperative that you all exchange contacts if you have not done so. Two, if anyone is injured, you must contact this Sesshoumaru immediately after following protocol for gaining medical attention. Three, you would be given an itinerary of events everyone is required to attend. Failure to do so would result in being you either being grounded with supervision by yours truly in your cabin. Other than that, everyone should have an enjoyable, relaxing trip. First off, so there is no confusion of cabin mates, assigned seating will be arranged. So when this Sesshoumaru calls your name enter the bus and have a seat next to your cabin mate. Ayame Urufu and Rin Seiga. Kagura Kaze and Kanna Kagami. Kagome Higurashi and Sango Tajiya. Miroku Houshi and the mutt. Kouga Ookami and Hojo Akitoki. Yura Hea and Kikyo Miko. Naraku Hihi and Shouta Kitto. Un Doragon and Ah Doragon. Shiori Koumori, due to your last minute attendance, you would room with Ms. Urufu and Ms. Seiga. For now sit in the front seat as you would be this Sesshoumaru's problem. Any objections or commentaries?", he rhetorically asks aloud.

"Do we have to stay in our assigned cabins?", Miroku jokes before receiving a glare from Sango as the rest of the group howls and whoops with laughter. "Of course you would ask such a question, Mr. Houshi. In the event of a weather defect, all students are required to take emergency shelter in the nearest cabin until the storm passes as stated in the guidelines. With that in mind, this Sesshoumaru hopes you all would use your best judgment to handle yourselves accordingly. Any misdeeds would be handled accordingly". With that final statement, Sesshoumaru allows his charges to board the bus as everyone is settled in for the long ride to the mountain resort.

* * *

Two hours into the drive towards the Ski Resort, the inhabitants of Sesshoumaru's bus begin to settle down, some choosing to take naps as others play on their electronics for the remaining three-hour drive. Rin chooses this moment to stray from her seat to speak to the gathering of underclass boys at the back of the bus. With Sesshoumaru, casually having his eyes closed in the midst of teens, a head set plugged into his ears as classical music floods his hearing; his seating partner gets up and joins the gathering of boys at the back of bus. At the sight of the girl comfortably clicking with the trio, Rin arches an eyebrow and decides to inquire about her. Stopping in the aisle of their seating, Rin leans over Shouta's shoulder to speak to the shy looking girl, currently wedge against the bus window in an awkward sitting position between Shouta and Naraku.

Rin looks the girl up and down, measuring up her intimidating factor only to stop short upon meeting the girl's inquisitive set of violet eyes standing out against her very pale skin. With a resemblance to Kanna with the eerie white locks and a lithe body resembling that of Kagome, Shiori stands from her seat, holding onto the headrest as she forces Rin to look up at her height. "Hey, I'm Rin", she quickly introduces, lightly startling the girl out of her shaky stupor as Shiori awkwardly extends a hand out only to drop it after a beat of Rin's continuous intense stare told her the act was a fail. "You're that girl Ship—Shouta pointed out when I registered for this trip the other day. The guys have all told me about you…"

"I suppose that's a good and bad thing. So, you're name is—", Rin starts again staring daggers at the boys sitting near the girl. "I'm Shiori… Shiori Koumori. Despite what rumors say about you and what these guys say about the people on this bus…I want…um… I was wondering… would you mind if I tag along with you during the trip", she mumbles, looking away from the dull brown orbs glaring at her from below. Before Rin can answer, Yura and Kikyo, just a few seats away, turn their attentions away from their phones and handhelds to answer for Rin. "Ugh—Seiga, just because we allow you to hang out with people outside of us doesn't mean we don't have to approve them", Yura calls out. "Besides—she can pass for Kagami's doppelganger if it wasn't for those eyes… stay in your lane, Seiga", Kikyo comments snaring at the sight of Rin.

"Well to be honest… I wanted to hang out with all of you. You know join your clique. Even though I'm a freshman, with the majority of you guys graduating this year, I was hoping to continue on your legacy…", Shiori squeaks turning her demanding eyes to meet Kikyo's glare. "Psh… I think Higurashi, Tajiya, Houshi, and I can hold it down—you don't know what you're asking for…" "Hold on—we sort of do need new people… and that creepy red-head back at the front also approached me about joining the group. Let's give you guys a test try… scout out some new blood you know", Yura dismisses as she turns her attention back to her Nintendo DSi. "After a few of us deliberate on the matter, I guess you can skip the initiating step and we'll go from there", Kikyo chimes in, turning her gaze back to her iPhone. Rolling her eyes at the intrusion, Rin helps Shiori out of the seat and back down the aisle just as Sesshoumaru pops open his eyes to scan the bus.

Making sure to re-buckle her seatbelt, Shiori lightly gasps at the feel of her phone vibrating in her pocket. Pulling out the device, she looks at the ID and shakes her head in confusion. Rin, sitting on the opposite side of the bus, signals Shiori that the incoming text message was from her.

**_+18273684567: _**

**_So. Sorry about being a bitch. Why do you want to be in our group anyway?_**

**_Me: _**

**_Why not? And how did you get this number?_**

**_+18273684567: _**

**_Okay. But you wouldn't want to give up Shouta right? BTW, he's the one who gave it to me. You're his gf, right?_**

**_Me: _**

**_Yeah. And why can you talk to them still?_**

**_+18273684567: _**

**_Maybe they didn't tell you I'm Feudal High's party queen. It don't matter who I talk to or hang with as long as they promise a good time. But I do tend to have them around a lot. I'm just saying. You may not get the same privileges for whatever identity you're planning to display…_**

**_Me: _**

**_Wait—I have to change who I am to be part of the IT crew?_**

**_+18273684567: _**

**_Depends. You had better hope not. Some days I wish I could go back to the girl I was before becoming part of them. Don't get me wrong. The perks are amazing. Never having to worry about homework. Random kids you used to talk to, bowing down and moving out of your way or helping you out for no reason but to try to get close to you. Being able to walk into class late. But—coming from someone who used to be a nerd—and yes you have it written all over you. Not everyone can deal._**

**_Me: _**

**_I can make it. I'm made from harder things than this._**

Rin looks over to Shiori, giving her a pointed look before nodding her head in approval.

**_+18273684567:_**

**_ If you still want to hang with the guys, and me offer is still open._**

**_Me: _**

**_Thanks. Not like you can keep me from being with my boyfriend anyhow._**

**_+18273684567: _**

**_No kidding, if Shouta's texting you how much he loves you, please tell him chill out. We're cool. I'm just busting his chops. Nice to meet you though. Add me._**

As Shiori smiles at the last text, she does as instructed, turning back in her seat to blow a kiss to Shouta at the back of the bus before putting away her phone. "_What have I just gotten myself into?_", Shiori ponders as she turns back towards the window to view the passing snow banks.

* * *

Few hours later, Sesshoumaru's charges step off their bus and arrange themselves with maps to their appropriate cabin after hearing another run down of more extreme procedures while on the Ski Resort. Finally, as instructed by a distributed itinerary, the attendants from Feudal High all met inside of the Mess hall of the resort and group around their bus chaperone. "Without further ado, remember that everyone is required to meet at this Sesshoumaru's cabin once a day. Failure to do so will result in the predisclosed consequences. It is up to the lot of you to decide how this is done. So, enjoy your first night and be safe. Good evening", Sesshoumaru dismisses as he leaves the meeting hall.

"While Rin is still around, I'm calling a meeting, so you three losers can get lost since this is none of their business", Kikyo rudely intrudes as she shoos away the extra boys from the gathering. The boys merely scoff and roll their eyes as they make their way over to their room. "So with the abundant rehearsals going on I fail to judicially regulate each person's behavioral check up within the group. Along with this, we have two new potential candidates. Everyone please welcome, what will be Feudal High's Gossip Queen and Role Model", Kanna introduces as Ayame and Shiori both step forward in the gathering.

Immediately, Kouga springs forward, displaying his disapproval with one of the candidates. "Come on, do we really need more underclassmen, I thought Rin was the only exception", he complains. "That's one count against the girls", Kanna notes. "But I'm tired of seeing the same people", Naraku jokes. "It's our last year for a good number of us. Why not have the legacy continue. Besides, we need someone with an in to the Yearbook club and Urufu is the editor", Yura pouts before receiving a shove to get her ranting to cease. "But doesn't that mean we have to include them into our dance routine for the talent show?", Sango questions. "And it's late for them to join any extracurricular activity, especially for—Koumori, right?", Miroku argues.

"Tajiya—don't worry about Koumori. She apparently is joining the show choir club when we get back, and it would be quick work to add her into cheerleading squad", Kagura boasts. "Okay, enough. They don't need to know about all that yet. Do you girls have anything to say for yourselves before our decision is made?", InuYasha interrupts. As the two candidates shook their heads in silence, an equally silent vote was casted as everyone suddenly pulled out their cellular devices. Within two minutes, Naraku asks for the numbers of Ayame and Shiori as the everyone departs from the meeting space. Naraku soon follows afterward as he leaves the girls to read their texts.

**Sent:** 12/30/2009 7:30 PM

**Number: Unknown**

**_Welcome. You are to meet with Kaze for your first step in transforming your style. Miko and Kagami would handle your transforming attitudes. Hea would be working with the final additions. There's something you girls have to see first. Tomorrow evening. Meet at Cabin 203 and tell no one_**.

"Uh… wow that was easy", Shiori politely asks. "It's not like we weren't a shoe in to begin with. Now remember not to fuck it up because I need this", Ayame interjects. "Uh… what?" "Never mind, let's just hurry and unpack", Ayame dismisses as the two rushes out of the Mess hall to their shared cabin.

* * *

The first event required to be attended by all persons of the Feudal High Ski Trip was a yearbook photo session taken while at the ice skating rink on the resort. The aforementioned group of popular individuals made their appearances one at a time. The photo session soon became a fashion contest as the attendants of Feudal High always paused at the sight of each popular person entering the rink. First to appear to the rink was Kagome, Sango and Miroku. Since the ice rink was indoors, Kagome wears a knee length, wool, boat necked, grey sweater dress over a denim pair of leggings with matching fingerless gloves and an oversized grey beanie hat. Her chestnut colored hair was out and loosely curled to fall mid-back but kept in place with the hat. Short black boots donned her feet as she refuses to get into the rink with unsteady skating skills. Kagome ushers her other two friends inside, promising to capture a few photos for herself as she leans against the outer edge.

Sango wears a pink v-neck sweater under a short, black, denim vest with matching high-waisted shorts. Her legs were decorated with black lace tights to match the decorated black necktie she wears over her ensemble. Her hair was braided down the side of her head so that a thick auburn ponytail lay against her shoulders. Miroku wears a navy blue, plaid, button-up shirt, the first couple of buttons left undone with a black t-shirt underneath and his sleeves rolled up. Black skinny jeans and matching black scarf hanging out of his back pocket completes his look as his hair was tousled to present a slightly messy look. The trio received looks from around the rink as Miroku skates behind Sango, covering her nearly revealed behind from on lookers. Sango slaps him every few passing moments as his hands sway past her hips to cup her butt every time he "loses" his balance.

As the trio enjoyed themselves on and around the skating arena, InuYasha makes his presence known as he enters the arena with roaming eyes on his apparel. He wears a simple red turtleneck under a short, black denim jacket with navy blue jeans. His silver locks was tied into a low ponytail and then wrapped into a bun to prevent others from being attacked by stray strands. As he changes his black sneakers for some rental skates, he catches sight of Kagome on the opposite side of the rink and hurries to place on his footwear. Skating into the rink, he poses a couple of times for the yearbook photographers before detouring towards the passing couple, Sango and Miroku.

"Hey, what's up with Gome?", he questions upon bumping into Miroku. Sango answers instead after she slaps Miroku's hands for losing his balance again. "She's not that good with skating, and she doesn't really want to make a fool of herself right now", she mutters irately. "Why didn't she skate with you then? Miroku's a pro on ice", InuYasha reveals. "Oh really…", Sango mutters before pushing her boyfriend onto the ice floor and skating away. InuYasha takes the moment to laugh before helping his friend up. "Thanks a lot, Yash! I had her right where I wanted her", Miroku groans. "And how would you explain your miraculous recovery if she slips and you skate to help her up?", InuYasha teases. "I would've explained I had a great teacher. Thus, earning her gratitude and her allowing me to touch her again…", Miroku mutters before dusting off the few shards of ice dust from his clothes.

"You're a riot—But, where's your girlfriend? I thought she was going to go help Kagome skate now?", InuYasha questions. "No, I think she just wanted to get away from me. Besides, Kagome practically begged us not to make her skate. I think she just wanted us to have fun and not be a third wheel. But I wouldn't mind having another set of cheeks to grope…", Miroku rants before being on the receiving end of a death glare from InuYasha. "Watch it…", InuYasha growls before shoving his friend away and skating over to the subject of his attention. "It's not as if I wouldn't have killed him twice before that happened. How about you give it a try? Maybe, she'll listen to you", Sango teases as she passes by InuYasha and back to her boyfriend.

Within a few moments, InuYasha manages to make his way over to Kagome, pleased with the light smile she greets him with. "Whatever happened to the girl who didn't care what anyone thinks of her", InuYasha teases as he pulls Kagome over to have a seat with him on a side bench. "She has a new responsibility to uphold the identity of which she assumes. Do you have any idea how much people want to be like us in the school. I used to be one of them. While I never approved of the idea of having false friends, I lucked out since my friends are with me on this, I get the best of both worlds: the popularity, without the issues of character. But, you're right. These days, for some reason, I'm wondering how long it'll be before I'll lose my friends", Kagome sighs dejectedly. "Don't you know with every friend you lose, you gain another. And who's to say you lose a friend forever, right? Didn't you teach me that when me and Miroku lost our ways?", InuYasha boasts.

"Yeah, I guess I did. I'm just worried for Rin, she seems to be hiding from me these days—she doesn't answer my texts, calls, or anything. I tried to text her on the bus and I saw her phone light up but she turned it off… I don't think she does it to Sango though… I just don't know what happened—but thanks, InuYasha. Now, don't worry about me. Just go have fun and skate", she tries to shoo away. "But I want someone to skate with me", he pouts. Kagome laughs lightly before muttering, "But if anyone skates with me, I will only guarantee that one of us will kiss the ice. Or with my luck, the ice will break first." "Okay. Then I just have to make sure I fall first…", InuYasha teases. "What for?" "So you can kiss me instead", he blushes, dragging an unwilling Kagome on her feet to the area where she can receive her rental skates. It was then Kagome's turn to blush at the feel of his hands on hers just before she drops the contact, racing behind the benches to get a pair of rental skates before tossing InuYasha Sango's camera.

After a few passing moments, Kagome carefully places the skates on her feet as InuYasha leads her wobbling figure into the rink. As Kagome tries to stand on thin blades, she looks up into InuYasha's determined face, blushing mildly as he gains a tighter grip on her hands to stop her from wobbling. "Okay now bend your knees just a bit, but try not to stick out your butt so much", InuYasha teases. "Then stop staring…", Kagome scoffs. Just as InuYasha was going to make a smart comment back, Yura skates by, knocking Kagome into InuYasha's arms as the two falls backward so he can carry the brunt of the fall. "Get a room, you two!", she mocks as she flashes her scantily clad bottom underneath her short, black and red, tutu-like skirt.

"Hey, Yura! Put on some pants! No one wants to see your herpes!", InuYasha shouts back after helping Kagome up again. Yura merely flips him off as she poses for the photographer while doing a spin to flash more skin. "How is she not cold?", Kagome whispers after looking over Yura's ensemble of a black tube top under a red shrug, causing InuYasha to snort at her comment before gently pulling her body against his, her back fitting perfectly against his posture as he directs her feet to move. "Hey now—call back that catty side. Ignore her for a moment and bend your feet like this", he instructs. Kagome's skin almost exploded again in another blush at the feel of InuYasha's breath tickling her ears. "Um… InuYasha—just don't let me go, okay?", she breathes, tentatively trying to hold herself up as she nearly buckles against the ice. "Of course I won't. How else would Sango and Miroku get your perfect shot?" "What?!", Kagome nearly shrieks as she turns her head to come face to face with a flash from Sango's camera as InuYasha's lips meet her cheek.

At the same moment, the yearbook photographer skates by and takes a couple of shots as Kagome fumbles around, trying to turn to face InuYasha, only to nearly stumble again upon grabbing onto him, hiding her face in embarrassment in InuYasha's shoulder. "Relax, Gome. You look amazing." Kagome immediately pulls away from his shoulder, looking at him with confused brown eyes. Before she can question his comment, he places a finger against her mouth. "How about we just meet up later at Sesshoumaru's cabin for roll call. I'm sure the yearbook has enough money shots with Yura flashing anyone and everyone. Plus, I have something I want to talk to you about", he whispers as he leads them out of the rink to trade back in their skates. After placing their shoes back on, InuYasha quietly taps Kagome's shoulders before whispering for her to close her eyes and fold her hands.

"InuYasha—this is really inappropriate…", she starts to say before letting the words die on her lips at the sight of him reaching into his pants pocket. "No peeking… I'm serious", he mutters before ignoring Kagome's weary frown and pulling out a small rectangle box. With gentle movements, he carefully pulls out a diamond studded, silver chain with a light pink pearl in the center and gingerly places it around Kagome's neck. At the sudden weight of the pearl against her bare skin, Kagome gasps as she widely opens her eyes to face InuYasha's shy face. "Consider this my gift to you for Christmas and New Years… I know you said I didn't have to get you anything but I really wanted to", he meekly comments as Kagome fingers the pearl lightly. "But, InuYasha… this is… it's too much…", she begins. "Well, fine then! Don't wear it", he playfully pouts. "InuYasha… I'll wear it all the time. Thank you", Kagome squeaks before placing a kiss on his cheek and running out of the skating arena with a large smile.

Just as Kagome makes her exit from the area, she bumps into a familiar blue-eyed teenage boy. "Sorry—oh hey, Kouga", she greets. "Leaving so soon… I was hoping that you skate with me. You owe me one after ditching me at the party. By the way, you're looking really good today"; he blinks, flashing the single diamond stud in his ear. Kouga wears a simple white fur vest over a black cashmere sweater with light jeans and black Prada shoes. "Uh… thanks but I don't skate that well. InuYasha was just trying to teach me but I'm still a klutz at the end of the day", she dismisses, nodding her head before continuing her path back to her cabin. Kouga takes hold of one of her hands and stops her in the tracks. "How about you meet me after roll-call later? I have something I need to ask you." "Oh… sorry, I already made plans. How about we meet up during the sled race? I don't have a partner", she begins again as she tries to pull her hand away only to have him tighten his grip.

"Seriously… what do you see in dog-brain? How do you know he's not using you to make his ex jealous?", Kouga taunts. "What does this have to do with him? If you have a problem with me hanging out with my friends then I don't know what you're doing wasting your time", Kagome replies sternly as Kouga drops her hand. Without another word, Kagome speeds out of the skating arena and makes a detour back to the Mess Hall without another look at the fuming blue-eyed playboy.

* * *

Within a few hours, the aforementioned group finishes their role call with Sesshoumaru and gathers inside of Kikyo and Yura's cabin. The plan was for a mock dress rehearsal to see what the competition has while catering to the audience of Ayame and Shiori. First up were Kikyo, Yura, and Kanna dancing seductively to their new song, Danity Kane's One Shot. After catching commentary from Kouga and Miroku about Kagome's group performance, the girls quickly made the song change, rushing to matchup their choreography. Their ensembles were extravagantly designed white body-con styled dresses with cutouts along the waits and across the back, simple diamond, studded embellishments lined the edges of the cutouts and the neckline of their dresses. Complete with diamond-studded heels and their hair styled to be voluptuous with curls and ringlet adding superior body. Glamorous nude makeup decorated their faces as the gathering watched each other in silence.

Strutting in their outfits, they walk across the narrow cabin space as the song's intro floats in through the speakers InuYasha has supplied. "_You all in my ear, (I hear you talking dirty…) you wanna get me alone, but you ain't saying nothing new to me… (New to me…) Are you sure that you can handle me… Uh, uh uh-oh…_", Kikyo starts off, sauntering off the center position as Kanna takes her place, following up with the vocals. "_So let me put on my boots, (Do you think that you can rock it?) Turn it up, let it loose, Boy can you get with this minor tease… (Minor tease…) Before I bring it to you mentally…_", Kanna sings as she switches spots with Yura leading vocals as the trio sings together. "_All I need is one shot, and baby you're gone… It'll have you calling non-stop, just can't leave it alone… (If I give ya what ya need) Do you really think you can handle me… Oh, oh-oh… Boy, do you think that you can handle me…_"

As the trio separated from each other, they took their positions as they timely danced to the next part of the song with Kikyo leading the vocals again with the other's chiming in accordingly to the background. "_Oh… (I hope you're ready…)Tell me… (That you're ready…)_ _'Cause I can't even fight it no more…_ _'Cause baby, my body… (Is like a potion…)_ _When I put this… (Thing in motion…) Guaranteed that you'll be begging for more… more oh, oh…_" Kanna stumbles into Kikyo as she exchanges spotlight with her, earning a side glare as she flawlessly continues the sensual dance routine. "_(boy, give me all that you got…)__ gotta make it hot for me…__ (Keep it coming don't stop…)__ I hope that you're ready…__ (I hear what you're saying…)__ 'cause I'm about to bring you…__ (You think you can handle me…)_" Casually switching places, Yura leads in the chorus again as Kikyo and Kanna follow through with the timed dance moves, sliding across the cabin floors in effortless suave. "_All I need is one shot, and baby you're gone… It'll have you calling non-stop, just can't leave it alone… (If I give ya what ya need) Do you really think you can handle me… Oh, oh-oh… Boy, do you think that you can handle me… All I need is one shot, and baby you're gone… It'll have you calling non-stop, just can't leave it alone… (If I give ya what ya need) Do you really think you can handle me… Oh, oh-oh… Boy, do you think that you can handle me…_"

Suddenly the girls break into a dance break with Yura leading as she ties in the end of the song with complex body movements. "_So if you got what I want and…__ You think you're ready, baby…__ (Come on and get it…)__ Come on (and just get it…)__ and if you got what I need, boy…__ Don't keep me waiting baby…__ (Come on and get it…),__ (Come on and just get it…)_" The trio synchronize just as Kanna misses a step, covering the act with her sudden vocal incorporation as she and Kikyo continue chiming in as Yura leads out the song. _"(Boy, give me all that you got…)__ Keep it hot for me yeah…__ (Keep it coming don't stop…)__ I hope that you're ready…__ (I hear what you're saying…)__ 'cause I'm about to bring you…__ (You think you can handle me…) All I need is one shot, and baby you're gone… It'll have you calling non-stop, just can't leave it alone… (If I give ya what ya need) Do you really think you can handle me… Oh, oh-oh… Boy, do you think that you can handle me… All I need is one shot, and baby you're gone… It'll have you calling non-stop, just can't leave it alone… (If I give ya what ya need) Do you really think you can handle me… Oh, oh-oh… Boy, do you think that you can handle me…_"

Finally the girls lead out the song, rhythmically chanting "_One shot!_" as they saunter off into their own space. With the instrumental ending in a quiet space, the group stares in silence as they politely applauded their peers little preview. "And in another few weeks we'll be able to make it flawless but I'd say that was pretty okay for our first run through", Yura awkwardly dismisses as she steps out of her heels. "Okay… then prepare to eat your words… ladies…", Kagura calls out as Rin, Sango and Kagome follow her into the restroom.

In a matter of minutes, the girls stepped out of the cabin's bathroom, stunning all with their quick transformation into Kagura's designed stage outfits. Kagome and Sango wore matching ensembles of a gold encrusted, long sleeved, white leotard with large gold shoulder pads. A ruffled frill flares out from their waist, studded with more golden pearls and adding modesty to their tight outfits by covering their bottoms as their long legs stood bare and only wearing white pumps with a thin gold straps trailing their ankles. Their hair was braided along the side of their head decorated with matching golden pearls as stray strands fashionably lie around the nape of their neck.

Rin and Kagura's outfit were a contrasting black version of Sango and Kagome's outfits. Their hair was tussled and pinned to one side with a large gold flower. As the quartet get into position. The room remains in awe as the group begin their last minute performance change of the ballad Danity Kane's Poetry. Luckily for them, they had already had back up songs rehearsed as warm-ups so the change was flawlessly choreograph with little issue. With Kouga starting the instrumentals of the song, Kagome takes the lead as the other trio begins eloquent dance moves. "_When I stand, in a crowded room… I feel alone, like nobody's there… And when you talk, cold to me… I can see your breath, in the air… It's taking its toll… on me… In the bathroom, taking showers… So you don't, see me cry… Baby it's such, a crime…_", Kagome passionately begins as she rhythmically falls into step when Sango steps up and sings on cue. "_I try… to feel… confident…I'm bitter… You're… not making… sense…. I missed… you 'til… you almost… took… my sanity… I started, a new verse like…_"

The girls begin chiming in together, dancing in perfect synchronized movements as they sing the chorus. "_Poetry… you're hiding behind, the words you speak… Changing the words, of the story… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, I'm fighting… You're hiding… behind the words, you're speaking… You're changing the words, I'm lost in the verse… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, why are you hiding…_" Kagura steps front and center as she leads the next part of the song, signaling the trio behind her to repeat the previous choreograph steps. "_When I give you, gratitude… You act like, you don't hear me speak… and when I tell you, what you do to me… You don't even, hear the truth… What are you trying to prove… I stare out, of the window, for hours… Cause you don't, listen to me… You won't even, look in my eyes…_" Sango steps in cue again, singing her rehearsed part with greater emotion as the three dance enthusiastically behind her. "_I try… to feel… confident…I'm bitter… You're… not making… sense…. I missed… you 'til… you almost… took… my sanity… I started, a new verse like…_"

Stepping back into place, the girls swiftly change up their choreography into a waterfall effect as each person dance the following step of the girl standing to the right of them, singing in tune to the audio. "_Poetry… you're hiding behind, the words you speak… Changing the words, of the story… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, I'm fighting… You're hiding… behind the words, you're speaking… You're changing the words, I'm lost in the verse… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, why are you hiding…_" Kagura, Sango, and Kagome pause their movement as Rin leads into the next part of the song, emotionally tuning into the song. "_Don't believe, what you're saying… I read your face, and I'm blanking… Cause I don't know, what's in front of my eyes… I try to feel… confident…_" Sango steps up behind Rin, mirroring her movements as she sings the next part in harmony with Rin taking lead. "_I try… to feel… confident…I'm bitter… You're… not making… sense…. I missed… you 'til… you almost… took… my sanity…_"

As the girls resume animation, they dance whimsically, beautifully posing as they sing out the end of the song with Rin harmonizing out the tune. "_Oh… oh… oh… oh, oh…. Oh… oh… oh… oh, oh… Oh… oh… oh… oh, oh… (I'm starting a new verse like…) Poetry… you're hiding behind, the words you speak… Changing the words, of the story… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, I'm fighting… You're hiding… behind the words, you're speaking… You're changing the words, I'm lost in the verse… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, why are you hiding… Poetry… you're hiding behind, the words you speak… Changing the words, of the story… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, I'm fighting… You're hiding… behind the words, you're speaking… You're changing the words, I'm lost in the verse… You say you don't love me, then say that you love me, why are you hiding…_"

With Rin's final line of the song, Kikyo stomps off into the center of their performance, messing up their final position. "You got to be kidding me. That's not fair, you guys already had your outfits prepared and finished. Of course their going to pick you…", Kikyo angrily rants before being interrupted by Rin's giggle. "What's the matter, Kikyo? Are you jealous of a little friendly competition?", Rin taunts. In a flash, Kikyo was across the room pinning Rin down to floor as Sango, Kagome, and Miroku try to jump to Rin's aid but only to be deterred by Naraku, Yura, and Kouga. "KIKYO! GET OFF OF HER?!", Sango furiously shouts. Kikyo ignores the warning as she seethes, "LISTEN YOU LITTLE SLUT. I MADE YOU AND I CAN EASILY DESTROY YOU. SO IF I WERE YOU I WOULD WISE UP." Rin merely smiles before leaning up to Kikyo's ear and in a barely audible breath, "I can feel your fetus."

Within another passing second, Kikyo pushes Rin away from her and stomps off into the bathroom trying to hold in her composure as Rin stands herself up again. Kagome pushes past Kouga and immediately goes to Rin's side. "Rin, are you okay?" "I could take of myself, you know. I don't need you and Sango to baby me every step of the way", Rin scoffs. Surprised at the new attitude directed toward her again, Kagome snaps back, "Obviously you don't know how to take care of yourself if you can't even take care of your emotions. Seriously Rin, you need to cut the bitch attitude cause it's not you." Rin rolls her eyes before muttering, "Like you even know who I am…"

"Yeah—you know what? I do. You're the girl who used to stay up all night with us while me and Sango talk crushes. You love comic books and have the meanest sweet tooth without ever having a cavity. You can climb ridiculously high and never have a case of vertigo. After the attack, you became even more afraid of the dark yet you always went into it as long as you have your books. Up until a month ago, you were all this and more—now, you could front all you want but _you _don't even know who you are anymore. The girl painted by the image of her clothes, the rumors, the fuck-off attitude is not you", Kagome rants, whimpering at the sight of Rin's brown eyes clouding over as her honey locks covered her expression. "That girl is dead… don't try to bring her back… she no longer wants anything more to do with people who hurt her like you do", Rin mutters as she leaves the room with Sango trailing behind.

"Wow… I guess not everything is so peachy keen for the life of Feudal High's merit queen…", Ayame jokes, trying to clear the tension in the room. Kikyo, slowly exiting the bathroom, ignores Ayame's statement as she approaches Kagome with a warning. "If I were you I'll think twice before trying to protect your little friend again… you may end up pushing her even further away", Kikyo seethes, glancing longingly at InuYasha before storming out of the cabin room with InuYasha trailing her.

With a beat of silence taking over the cabin, Yura shoos everyone out, not caring to witness more of the dramatics for the night. Outside in the cool night air, everyone parts ways, swiftly heading back to their rooms with the exception of Kouga, Naraku, Miroku and Kagome. These four storming after the fleeting footprints in the snow but in opposite directions of the person they wanted to speak to.

* * *

Meanwhile back inside of his cabin, after the miniature session of roll call, Sesshoumaru ponders about his last days working in that god-forsaken school. In a matter of days following the Ski Trip he planned to make a general announcement to each of the classes he hosted, dismissing any sentimental remarks with an excuse that his parent's company needed his attention more. Walking over to the overhead view from the windows of his cabin, he catches sight of Naraku and Kouga standing outside the Mess Hall with Naraku whispering something to Kouga before Kouga runs off.

Grabbing hold of a pocket telescope situated in his blazer, he focuses on the surprisingly fast movement of Kouga across the snow banks, past Miroku, standing still in the snow and over to a stomping Kagome. From the looks of it, Kagome was trying to walk away from the overzealous teenage boy but he grabs hold of her arm and drags her the opposite direction of her cabin and into the woods towards Kikyo's cabin. Sesshoumaru, worrying about the responsibility on his shoulder if Kagome gets in further harm, puts away his telescope and grabs his coat to follow after the girl.

* * *

Deep in the snow blanketed woods, another couple frantically whispers into the night, pressed against a pine tree in anger. Kagome and Kouga soon approach the couple, only to stop complete movement within a few yards at the sight of their identities. "And you're absolutely sure that it's mine?", the boy painfully groans. "What more do you want from me? I brought you all the results from the test and I even go as far as to stand back while I watch you parade around some other slut just so you can try to fool her like you did to me", the girl cries back. "The only one that was fooled here was me. As if I'm supposed to believe you couldn't have doctored your own results. And don't talk about her like that, she's more true to me than you would ever be", he defends. "As if… think about it. You can't even bring yourself to get away from me. Even the girl you so claim to believe in. Ha—she could pass for my twin…", the girl begins again before being interrupted by the boy throwing a fist into the trunk of the tree next to her head.

"Go ahead—hit me… are you that stupid or do you seriously think you can beat all your problems away? Well guess what, now you can't leave me and you're family has no proof of my adultery. So if you want to be stupid and break the deal between Miko Industries and Takahashi Empire just to fuck your fantasies, then go ahead… but I warned you. Rumors and gossip is what raised you up to fame and it's the very thing that had broken us apart. I'll drag you to hell and back before you can even think of doing anything without my name attached to it", the girl taunts before leaning up to kiss the boy before her. The boy stands still in shock before reaching his arms up to hold her. Within a few yards away, the sounds of a breaking heart fills Kagome's very being as she tries to pull away from Kouga.

"Let me go—I don't need to see anymore… ", she meekly whispers. "Kagome… I'm sorry but you had to see for yourself. Dog brains… he was playing you for a fool", Kouga tries to explain. "Yeah, I get it. Feudal High's Model Diplomat can't even see when the school's King is toying with her. Thanks, for opening my eyes before I did something stupid", she whimpers before she yanks her arm free from his grip and runs towards her cabin. Upon her trek up the snow banks and back towards her cabin, she runs into the one person she didn't need to see with tears in her eyes.

"Kagome…", was all he can say as he watches her rip off the very necklace he gave her not even a couple hours ago and throws it at his feet. "Thanks for curing me of my stupid hopes and dreams. I guess you really fooled me. I thought the rumors weren't as vicious at the people spreading them make them out to be. I thought I could trust you to tell me everything like I told you but I guess I was just expecting too much or being naïve. Whichever it is… I'll be sure not to make that mistake again", she sobs before pushing past him and into her room. InuYasha stares at the snow in a daze as a single tear fights its way across his cheek. He picks up the necklace and vows to the wind, "Don't give up on me, Kagome… I'll make this right, even if it kills me."

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

He raises his arms around Kikyo and pulls her suction lips off of his, shoving her to the ground. "Right now, my parent's lawyers are already drafting out an agreement for you to stay away from me. And before you really think that there's no amount of money your parents would accept for shipping their deflowered daughter away, think again. Keep believing that you matter Kikyo. Your own parents would put their company before their own flesh and blood. At the end of this, you would go to my family doctor and get that test taken again. Unless you rather make another life worthless and wait until you give birth to something that doesn't have the hereditary Takahashi hair and eyes. But either way, the only one in pain, even if it's at my expense, would be you", he informs before stepping around the writhing girl.

"Damn you, InuYasha…", he hears her weep as he walks deeper into the woods, only to bump into his brother. "What the hell do you want, bastard?", he grunts. "Spare the berating commentary for yourself because the damage is already done", Sesshoumaru cryptically informs. "What the hell?" "This Sesshoumaru has caught sight of the Ookami boy chasing after the Ms. Higurashi and came to stop them before anything happens but my job was done when she saw you with that Miko girl. You should head over to her if you wish to stand in mother's good graces again", Sesshoumaru jokes before pointing out the way for his brother.

He runs off in the direction of Kagome's cabin, only to come to a stop at the sight of her tear-streaked face as she mindlessly walks into him. "Kagome…", he whispers.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

"Dammit! Kagome… I'm in love with you… stupid", he shouts before walking back towards his cabin, not noticing the grin of frail, dark haired boy behind him.


	15. A Catastrophe of Choices

**A Catastrophe of Choices**

Trudging through the snow banks and over the hills near the Ski Resort's cabins, Sango chases Rin as Rin stomps further away from the vacation resort and away from civilization before answering Sango's pleads. "No! I'm tired of her acting like a big prude. She did it to herself and I don't want to hear anymore about her intentions", Rin pauses her stampede to answer.

"But why Kagome? If anything for the last few weeks, she has been doing anything and everything to not get on your bad side. I thought she was exaggerating as she usually does when she said you were mad at her but this is ridiculous. The girl literally canceled dates and dropped whatever she was doing to wait at her house for a phone call you never made", Sango explains. "Can we cut the bullshit—everyone knows that she doesn't want to go out with Ookami so don't blame me for that. You know what—I'm starting to get tired of you as well so why don't you take the hint and get lost." "You're not going to get rid of me that easily", Sango glowers, folding her arms in front of her.

But before Rin can retort to that comment, Shouta, Ah, and Un call out from in front of a dingy shop with neon lights in the windows, just over the last snowy hill. "I don't even want to know what the occasion for the hot get-up is. As long as you don't tell me you're chickening out on the bet!", Ah whistles upon seeing Rin and Sango in their performance costumes. "Uh… about that", Rin begins. "Nope. You lost the bet, fair and square Seiga. You promised to get us into that party and even though Shouta somehow made it through, Ah and I had to wait outside all night. Come on, you always wanted to get a tat. And it's going to be cute—just like you", Un winks, marching out to meet the girls and grabbing Rin by her hand. "Guys… I never said I was chickening out", Rin explains, following Un without question with Sango trailing behind her. "Then what is Feudal High's Executioner doing here", Shouta teases before receiving a questioning glare from Sango. "She's going to go in with me", Rin mutters.

"Yeah, that's more than I can say for you sorry lot of—what?!", Sango gasps. "Come on, during the party you said, 'friends don't let friends go out without a bang', so you wouldn't let me go through this alone…", Rin pouts as Sango groans in agreement before grabbing hold of her hand and dragging her inside the dingy tattoo parlor. Within a few seconds, Rin's new cronies follow her inside the shop, being the first group of customers the shop had in a long while. "Can I see some identification?", the shop clerk asks as soon as he takes in the size of the group. "Here you go sir, the blondie and her friend is here to shop though", Ah speaks up as he hands the man, a set of faked ids for everyone but Sango.

"Okay, what about you, friend?", the clerk questions Sango. "Just give me a break… She's not doing this alone and it looks like this place could use the cash—which is what we got", Sango explains, taking out her ID. "Whatevs. Do you have a design in mind or is this some special occasion?", the clerk asks as Sango rolls her eyes. "Yeah, our little friend here wants to get one of your signature designs on her shoulder. The dark butterfly on the rose", Shouta snorts the clerk raises eyebrows at little petite Rin. "Then, I'll be obliged to do your first tattoo…", the clerk flourishes before pointing out his station. "Um… I also want to get a navel piercing. I want the black butterfly stud in your window", Rin greets excitedly as she shoos away the boys so she remove the top of her leotard ensemble. "Rin… please tell me you have something on underneath your clothes. I don't want to hear Kagura's mouth about how you got blood on her costume", Sango jokes.

"You didn't have to follow after me", Rin smiles. "Are you kidding me? Just be happy you even got that far from me…Who's your friend? He looks awfully familiar… like one of Kohaku's friends", Sango begins. "That's Shouta Kitto. He's the freshman I was talking about. The one that just moved into town and sort of grew on me—I always wonder what a bunch of piercings would look like on you. Lord knows you have the body for it", Rin begs, dismissing Sango's inquisition on the only other short teen in the gathering. "The things I do for you… fine. I'll get as many as it takes for your tat to finish", Sango huffs before removing the top of her own leotard. "Speaking of clothes, I don't think I can go back into Miko's cabin without being wailed on. See if Houshi can get them", Rin asks noticing Sango's slight shiver. "He wouldn't make a great boyfriend if he hasn't received them by now", Sango jokes before pulling out her phone to do just that.

"It must be nice to be with someone for so long", Rin teases. "Just because things didn't exactly work out between you and… what exactly happened between you two anyway?", Sango questions. "Ka… Kagome happened", Rin meekly whispers. "Oh… WHAT?!", Sango screams. "While we were busy having fun at that party… I was trying to suck it up and go and talk to Sesshoumaru but… I remember him speaking to someone that night and her throwing herself at him. The details are still kind of fuzzy but I definitely remember something about that night. The girl was definitely tall, beautiful, and her name begins with a K… so yes—I've been giving the cold shoulder to Kikyo, Kanna, and Kagura as well", Rin explains. Before Sango can reply, the store clerk pulls in his assistant to take of Sango as the question dies on her lips.

* * *

Meanwhile Kagome opens her cabin door to a much-unexpected guest as she impatiently texts Sango for her return. "Oh… Hojo. Hi, what brings you here at this time of the night?", she asks outright as she masks her worried expression. "I just dropped Urufu off at her cabin and seeing the absence of her cabin mate reminded me of the rumors of your friend, Seiga. I overheard the conversation you were having with Tajiya on the bus and I was wondering if you weren't too busy right now and would like to take a walk with me to look for her. Maybe you two really need to talk." "Thanks for your concern, Hojo… but I sort of want to be by myself tonight. Or as alone as I can get. And no offense, you're the last person I would consider talking to when it comes to advice about things like that", Kagome apologizes. "Maybe, if anything at all, you could clear your thoughts. You may be surprised at how I can help you", he argues.

Not wishing to be caught outside in the cold again, Kagome was about to invite Hojo in but to her surprise, a very invidious Kouga rounds the corner of her cabin and quickly diminishes her hospitality. "Hey, Kagome… I just wanted to apologize for earlier—I hope I'm not interrupting anything", Kouga announces upon his arrival. "Actually, I don't want to speak to either of you tonight. Hojo, you're a nice guy but I can only see you as a friend at most. And Kouga… I'm not sure I'm ready for anyone to bother me right now. So can both of you just turn around and go back to your cabin", she pleads as she watches Hojo's already retreating figure. "You take care, Kagome. And whenever you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to find me", Hojo dismisses himself as Kouga refuses to move from Kagome's doorway.

"Don't you think being alone is unhealthy for you right now?", he questions, ignoring her annoyed facial expressions. "That's why I'm trying to find my cabin mate. I know she chased after Rin but they should both be back by now…", she murmurs, looking at the narrow white tablet she desperately clutches in her hand. As an awkward silence envelops the room, Kagome doesn't notice Kouga's movement until it was too late and he stands directly in front of her. "Hey Kagome…", he calls out. "Hmm?" In the moment Kagome looks up from her phone in her hand, her lips are captured with Kouga's in a surprising meeting of appendages. Too shocked to make an immediate move, her eyes widely open as his hands cup her face and try to pull her closer to him. Immediately sirens can be heard through the night air. Kagome snaps back into reality, trying to move away from his touch as the sound of approaching footsteps fill through the rushed scenery.

Finally, she resorts to clamping her mouth tight but that only serves to make him aroused as he smirks against her lips. In a losing contest of wits, Kagome was planning ways to knee him when Kouga's grip was ripped off her and cool air touched her skin again. It was Kagome's turn to blush as the one saving her from her moment of embarrassment was the same person causing her heartache. InuYasha and Kouga were busy exchanging blows out in the snow-filled doorway as Kagome watches in horror at the sight before her. Blinking wide eyes, she moves forward to intrude between the boys. "**_Attention all resort attendants. The following warning is in effect: A level three storm is fast approaching. All guests are required to remain on the premises and seek shelter immediately. The blizzard will touch down within the next two hours. Emergency resources are readily available and free of charge. Stay tuned in for further instructions._**"

Kagome watches as InuYasha furiously knocks out one of Kouga's teeth. Blood spattered on the white snow as she finally breaks up the brawl long enough for the boys to take careless swings at each other. In that moment, she grabs hold of InuYasha's bruised fist and holds it away from Kouga's battered face as she tries to place herself in front of the bleeding teen. "InuYasha—I could handle this…", she meekly pleads as InuYasha loosens the hold of his other hand on Kouga's coat. Kouga, however uses the moment to take a shot at InuYasha, kicking at the booted shin with force. InuYasha bows down at the pain searing through his calves, shortly blinking through the pain before poising to strike Kouga again."STOP! STOP! JUST STOP IT! PLEASE!", Kagome shouts as she shoves Kouga away and plants herself firmly between the boys.

With both boys paused in their movements, they turn their attention to the frail, trembling girl between them. "This is not the time for you guys to be beating each other to a pulp… So help me god if you don't get in this goddamn cabin now I will leave you both out in the cold", Kagome sternly instructs as silent tears rushes down her angered face. Without another word to each other, both boys made their battered ways inside of Kagome's room as she makes a desperate phone call to Miroku while looking for an onsite first aid kit.

* * *

Back inside the dingy shop, nearly an hour has passed and Rin's tattoo was nearly complete along with Sango's ninth piercing. "Thanks, Sango. I didn't think you'll actually get so many…", Rin meekly jokes. "Be lucky that you're tat isn't that massive otherwise I would've let you ride out on your own. Besides, the piercings aren't that bad", Sango mumbles before ignoring another vibrate of her cell phone filling the silence in the room. "Is your tongue still numb?" "I'll survive. I'm more worried about the amount of blood in your little poison routine", Sango teases as the assistant hands Sango an alcohol pad to wipe away the residue from her navel piercing as she swipes at her phone to call back her boyfriend.

Sango rolls her eyes at the full message inbox and voicemail. Just as she was about to message him instead, he beats her to the punch with another phone call and she answers with a dull, "Hey, babe." "WHERE ARE YOU?! Higurashi is a wreck and I had to fight Hea to get back into the cabin to grab you and Seiga's stuff. I had to leave Higurashi with Ookami while I went to get your things, though", Miroku reports. "WHAT?! Kouga? Are you—", Sango begins to shout into the phone. "And to make matters worse, a snow storm alert has been issued and Sesshoumaru is making sure all of us are in a cabin. So in case you and Seiga don't want to get sent back home early, I suggest you tell me where you are so I can give you guys your clothes and get you to safe shelter", Miroku worries.

"Rin—how did your cronies get here?", Sango asks, pulling the phone away from her sore ears. Just as Rin was just finished being bandaged up, the shop clerk answers instead. "There's a chairlift leading up to the cabins from here. But tell whoever it is, they have 30 minutes before we close up shop here." Before Sango could put the phone back to her ear, the sound of a huffing Miroku fill her ear. "I'm already half way there. I was just about to walk past it as I was heading over to your cabin. See you in a few", he hangs up. The assistant moves to pierce Rin's navel as she shivers under the gun before being wiped by the solution.

"Houshi is on his way with something warmer for you to change into and you better decide where you staying tonight because a snow storm is coming", Sango informs as she carefully slips on her leotard again. "How would you react if you caught, Miroku cheating on you?", Rin asks unexpectedly as she attempts to hold up her costume to cover her bandeau. Sango blushed mildly, remembering that she had a mission to get through for the night. "You know, there's no way it could've been Kagome that night, right? I mean she was in our room with InuYasha. She told you that herself", Sango diverts.

"Maybe so… but I find it hard to believe she was in a room with InuYasha all night and didn't explode", Rin falters. "So you really think that Kagome would abandon her crush for InuYasha to jump on your ex? Oh yeah that makes perfect sense, Rin." "And there you go defending her again—if she was so great why hasn't someone like Miroku slept with her yet? She's the only unattached girl around us. I don't know why you're standing there as if you don't expect them to have some secret fling behind your back as well", Rin insults as the tattoo artists covers Rin's shoulder with dressing after swabbing down the design with his solution.

Before Sango can even retort to her embarrassment, Miroku walks in with hers and Rin's clothes in hand. Without another word, the first action Sango takes is plant a soul-searing kiss to her boyfriend's lips, not releasing her hold on him as their body meld together, causing Rin to uncomfortably clear her throat. Handing Rin her clothes, she turns back to the petite girl to say, "You got some fucking nerve, Rin. If you have these deep insecurities, maybe you should talk to someone besides your friends or the drugs I know you won't admit to taking. You don't have to put on this fake bravado act just because you're still hurting inside. You had better think again before you even begin using InuYasha and Miroku in the same context. Houshi and I may not always work out—hell, we fight all the time but at least we stick around to figure it out. That's what a relationship needs. First, there's trust and then stubbornness to stick around even when it hurts. When you're done beating yourself up about what happened, you can come find me—I'll be damned if you continue taking it out on Kagome."

With those words, Sango grabs Miroku's hands, ignoring the protesting pain of her piercings and storm out of the shop and back over to the chair lifts. Rin remains in silent shock as she quickly changes her shoes and her shirt before heading out with her new posse. The only thoughts swimming in her mind being, "_Maybe I should just go straight to the source… Psh—after he chews my head off about my general lack of care for my well-being… No. I was right. Sango wasn't there… and until I can prove otherwise, all the K's are public enemy number one… even Kagome._"

* * *

Back inside Kagome's cabin, tension fills the air as two teenage boys sit on opposite sides of the room, in front of a roaring fire with Kagome bandaging the last of one of their wounds. "Thanks, Kagome…", Kouga flaunts as he touches her hand gingerly while she cuts off the end of the bandage to his wrist. InuYasha rolls his eyes before attempting to tighten his knee bandage with much difficulty. "Why you helping that brain-dead loser? He almost tried to take advantage of you not even an hour ago", InuYasha seethes. "Because another brain-dead idiot doesn't want my help. So since I rather not feel useless, you set this on yourself InuYasha", Kagome snipes back. Kouga merely snickers as Kagome's phone rings in the still room. Jumping at the chance at any distraction, she quickly answers the phone. She was more than ticked off when Sango opens the conversation nonchalantly.

"You're such a hypocrite. The one moment I really need you the most, you're with your boyfriend. Thanks, a lot Sango", she pouts. "But Kagome… I was busy trying to—", Sango begins. "Save it. I'm tired of the excuses. First with Rin and now you… maybe you both need to reevaluate what how much my friendship means to you. I'm done being the only one who seems to care anymore. Screw the popularity. I would give it all up if I just can have us again…", Kagome begins to whimper. "Kagome… I'm sorry", Sango whispers into the phone. "I don't know if 'sorry' will cut it this time, Sango." Quickly disconnecting the call, Kagome chucks her phone onto the nightstand before running into the bathroom to have a moment to herself. The tension softens in the room with two boys calming their nerves at the light sound of a weeping girl trickling through the wooden walls.

* * *

A second announcement was made as Sesshoumaru takes a moment to not only text all his charges to see their whereabouts but to give a mass broadcast to the remaining Feudal High attendants on the trip. Just as the blizzard touches down over the cabin area, Miroku drags a depressed Sango over to his cabin since it was as far as they can go with the current snow storm. Taking a moment to allow her costume to dry nearby the fireplace, he catches sight of Sango trying to hold back her tears as she removes her coat and hangs it up at the coat hanger by the cabin door. He cautiously walks toward her before taking away her phone from her hand and putting it into his pocket to stop her from glaring at unanswered texts. Ignoring the ache she complained about with her new piercings, he gently brings her into a comforting hug as she clings lightly to his chest.

"Houshi… after everything we've been through… how could it have all came to this?", Sango mumbles through silent tears. Miroku continues to comfort the girl in his arms as he wipes away a stray tear with his thumb. "I'm sorry for what has become of your friends… Rin, I expected it as we watched her drift away. But Kagome will come to her senses. She has a lot on her plate… they'll both realize the mistake they're making in turning on each other", he attempts to calm. "But I was the only thing keeping everybody together and when I tried too hard at fixing one, it feels like I'm betraying the other. I have to go make it right", Sango resolves as she pulls herself out of Miroku's arms and rushes to put on her pink parka. Miroku immediately stands in the doorway just as Sango finishes putting her arm through the other sleeve.

"Sango… just leave it alone for the night. There's no way I'm letting you go back out in that storm—Jesus, we were only out there for 20 minutes and were completely covered with snow", Miroku reasons, folding his arms against his chest. "In that case, I at least have to make it back to my cabin, even if Kagome doesn't want to speak to me tonight. What better than a natural disaster to drive us closer together. Besides, I'm sure InuYasha will arrive soon enough and want to talk to you about what to do with Kagome. And I'll better go find Rin before she does something stupid with this snowstorm", Sango explains as she tries to push her way past Miroku. Unfortunately, Miroku continuously stands his ground just as his cell phone vibrates and he fishes it out of his pocket, despite Sango's antics.

Reading over the incoming text messages, a whimsical smile spreads across his lips as Sango backs away from the door. "Looks like InuYasha is trapped in your cabin with Kagome and Kouga. Ayame has a full house with Rin, Shiori, Hojo, Ah, Un and Shouta in her cabin tonight. So you don't need to worry because I'm texting them back that you're staying here tonight", he announces just as Sango jumps him, climbing half way up his torso, while trying to reach for the phone. Miroku, although surprised, manages to keep Sango out of reach as he drops his phone and opts for holding onto his girlfriend's denim clad legs. Walking over to the roaring fire, he leans back into the reclined loveseat sofa posed in front of the fireplace as Sango starts to playfully attack his chest to let her down.

"Come on, Houshi. This is not the time to be a pervert. I can't stay here—I don't even have something to change into if I do stay over", she begins. "No one said anything about going to bed. And must we revisit the situation from the Christmas party", Miroku taunts. Sango merely hmphs before hopping off Miroku's lap to remove her pink parka and hang it back on the coat hanger. Refusing to admit defeat and face the teenage boy in the room, Sango continues to stand in the corner of the cabin with the coat hanger, glaring at the door while fuming at the world. Suddenly, lean, strong, sweatered clad arms circle around her waist from behind and familiar lips start kissing her temple in a soothing lull.

Sango couldn't stay mad as she turns in Miroku's arms and meets full on with his lips. The light peck soon turns into an endearing one as Miroku moves his hands from Sango's waist and up to cup her face. Sango nearly loses herself in the kiss as her own hands starts to fist its way through Miroku's hair. Finally parting for air, the two lovebirds smile lazily at each other, laughing sheepishly in embarrassment at the sudden mood change. "Thanks Miroku. Moments like this makes me forget how much of a lecherous dog you can be… even if it is only towards me these days", she teases before pulling herself out of his arms and walking over to the suitcases in a corner of the cabin room.

"My t-shirts are in the front compartment", Miroku laughs before turning away to get undressed himself. Sango rolls her eyes before throwing open the nearest piece of luggage in front of her, in search of her favorite t-shirt… the one she continuously borrows because it smells of the light soapy scent mixed with his distinguishable musk of his daily body spray. Upon her search of the familiar black t-shirt, Sango ceases her actions at the feel of a hard box jutting out in the folded clothes. Pulling out the box, her body engulfs in a reddening blush as she tries to neatly repack the suitcase. In her haste to quickly cover the offending package, she fails to notice the dark shadow looming over her until he starts snickering behind her. Cooling the blush by attempting to steady her heart rate, she prepares to scream at her boyfriend only to be surprised by the sight of him reaching over her head to the luggage behind the suitcase she threw open.

"Someone's in a hurry to get to bed. Not that I mind. I'll fix InuYasha's suitcase. I'm sure he'll notice if he's missing any condoms, so let's not have any funny ideas. Meanwhile, you can look for stuff in _my_ suitcase", he winks as her blush returns tenfold. Sango curses under her breath as Miroku laughs himself silly.

* * *

A cabins down the snow covered path, Ayame, Shiori, Souta, Hojo, Ah and Un sit inside the cabin, gawking at Rin's new tattoo as the girl in questions tries not to writhe in pain at the annoying healing itch of the skin healing underneath the design. "Seiga—you are now officially one of us… the tat looks tough…", Un awes as he stares intently at the intense detail on the back of her left shoulder. The dark blue rose was tinted with faded black tips, complimenting the whimsical feel of the intricately design black butterfly spread across one petal with a faint trail of Rin's veins in her nearly translucent skin wrapping around the spiny stem of the rose. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad did it hurt…", Shouta asks as he backs away from the intense staring contest. "It really wasn't that bad. But I don't know if that's because I'm high or if I was too anxious at the idea of getting one…" "Is that so? How often do you take these drugs? Did you let your physician know about the effects?", Hojo inquires.

An uncomfortable silence fills the cabin as the inhabitants waited for the response to a loaded question. Rin simply smiles before hopping off her bed and walking over to the small cooler located just outside the bathroom. "I almost forgot—I brought a couple of these when we were heading back from town… I mean, I wasn't really counting on the snow storm but what better way to celebrate a birthday!", Rin quips as she pulls out a couple of bottles of Coca Cola and Bacardi 151 Rum. "Ah and Un… now—", she signals as the teen twins dash off to the cabin's closet to bring out a small box.

"Oh wow—you guys shouldn't have…", Shiori begins only to receive questioning stares from Rin, Ah, and Un. "Uh… I'm sorry?", Ah asks aloud. "I'm sorry. I never told you guys—Shiori and I have the same birthday… go figure, huh?", Shouta explains, nervously itching his blonde cap of spiky locks. "Well then, the more the merrier, right?", Hojo claps as he walks over to the door to switch off the cabin lights just as Un finishes opening the box to light the candles on the round chocolate cake within.

"Hey, that's perfect. Shiori you should join us in the little ditty that Rin planned for Shouta. I'm helping too… besides you can't really join the performance bit without showing what you can do", Ayame suggest as she hums the beginning tune of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know?" with Ah quickly tuning his guitar to the synchronized acapella vocals. "_There's a boy… I know… he's the one, I dream of… ooh… Looks into… my eyes… takes me to, the clouds above… mmh… Ooh I lose… (Ooh…) control… can't seem to, (get enough… ooh…) uh huh… When I wake… from dreaming… (Ooh…) tell me is it, really love… uh huh…_", Shiori begins, harmonizing timely with Ayame. With the the lull in the song, Rin takes over as she sings the chorus with Ah, Ayame, and Shiori taking temporary back-up. "_How will, I know… (Don't trust, your feelings…) How will, I know… (Know…) How will I know… (Love can, be deceiving…) How will, I know… (Know…)_"

Looking expectantly at each other, the quartet sings the next part together to Shouta's amusement. "_How will I know… (if he, really loves me…) I say a prayer… (with every…) heart beat… I fall in love… (whenever we meet…) I'm asking you… cause you know about, these things… How will, I know… (if he's, thinking of me…) I try to phone, but I'm too shy… (can't speak…) Falling, in love… is all, bitter sweet… This love, is strong… (why do I, feel weak…) Oh… wake me…_" Allowing Shiori to take lead again, Ayame, Ah, and Rin take background as she nervously stares at Shouta. "_I'm shaking… (Ooh…) Wish I had you… (near me now… ah ha…) Said there's no… Mistaking… (ooh…) what I feel is, (really love…) Oh… tell me…_"

Blowing out the candles on his cake, Shouta sways with the make shift choir group as Hojo turns the lights back on. "_If he loves me… if he loves me… If he loves me… if he loves me not… Ooh… yeah… If he loves me… if he loves me… If he loves me… if he loves me not… (Ooh…) (How will, I know…) How will, I know… if he's thinking, of me… I try to phone… but I'm, too shy… (can't speak…)Falling in love… (is all bitter sweet…) This love is strong… (why do I, feel weak…) How will, I know… (How will, I know… if he really, loves me…) (How will, I know…) I say a prayer… (Hey, how will, I know…) With every… heart beat… (How will, I know…) I fall in love… (Ooh…How will, I know…) Whenever, we meet… (How will, I know…) I'm asking you… (Yeah… How will, I know…) cause you know about, these things… (How will, I know…) How will, I know…_"

Placing the cake aside, the quartet gives themselves a round of applause as Rin pops open the bottle of rum and with the help of Un start mixing drinks for the group. "That was amazing, guys… Shiori—that was…", Shouta begins to compliment only to be interrupt with Rin shoving a drink in between both his and Shiori's faces. "You taking some trail mix with us, Shouta?", Rin questions, blissfully ignoring Shiori.

Shouta pale face loses the little color it held as a blank stare takes over his visage. "No, you and the guys go ahead. I'm good with the cake and drinks", he dismisses as a confused expression mars Shiori's delicate features. Rin shrugs her shoulders as she dashes away from the couple, taking a discreet shot with Ah and Un as they partied the rest of the night.

* * *

Hours later, after a couple rounds of card games, endless flirting, and scary stories with the power going out in the cabin, Sango sits in between Miroku's legs as the two cuddle in front of the fireplace with a big blanket helping to keep them warm. "Do you lose on purpose? I know you always claim I distract you but sometimes a girl likes a little competition", Sango jests as she settles in against Miroku's smooth chest. "Maybe I like it when we have games where the stake is nudity… either way I get what I want. You naked to my eyes or you touching my bare skin… I always win in the end", he teases back. "Don't make yourself sound so lucky. It's my weakness whenever you take your shirt off… I can't not touch… and only I can use that argument… the same doesn't apply to your wandering hands", Sango warns.

"Ever think that maybe I want you to stop being so bashful when we're alone… I promise no one would run in and chastise you. Maybe I like knowing that my girlfriend likes more than just my shirtless body", he playfully whines. Sooner than those very words left his lips, he finds himself in a compromising position as Sango's hand begins stroking his legs, her fingernails lightly trailing up his inner thigh and back down to his knees. Miroku remains tense under the scrutiny as it was Sango's turn to take control of the sexual tension. Turning her neck so that her lips were posed just under his, she whispers, "Be careful what you wish for, Houshi".

Miroku merely gulps before standing up swiftly and running into the bathroom, leaving a laughing Sango to roll around in the blankets on the floor. Once her laughter subsides, Sango drops the blanket and paces over to the bathroom, lightly rapping on the door before muttering, "Miroku… are you alright? I promise to stop for the night… just come out… It's cold without you…" Miroku creaks open the door before sliding out the bathroom and tackling Sango to the floor. With a hard thud, Sango was about to yelp in pain from the sudden impact when her voice reverts into a whimper at the feel of Miroku's hands grazing her waistline underneath his shirt while he places hickies along her neckline.

"Okay… uncle… I forfeit. Just stop before_ I_ need another cold shower…", she breathes as Miroku stops his antics to lay a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling himself off. Taking a moment to calm her breathing again, Sango stands up and offers her hand to Miroku. "Truce until the morning… I won't tempt you and you can't tempt me", she calls out before Miroku grabs her hand in agreement. After pulling away, both lovers went back to the fireplace to essentially spoon each other until they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Back over in Kagome's cabin, with her tears finally ending, she finds it too quiet in her cabin with two brutal enemies' only yards away from each other. She pokes her head out of the bathroom to see if they were both still alive. With the reassuring sound of separate cadences of light breathing/snoring, she tip toes out of the bathroom to add more firewood to the weakening fire pit. Within a few moments, the extra wood pieces caught fire and the room was noticeably warmer. But before she can climb over the two sleeping occupants on the floor and to her bed, she notices InuYasha shivering slightly. Sighing in discontent, she takes off the blanket from her bed and places it around his shoulders as she attempts to gather as much warmth as she can with the remaining light sheets on the mattress since Kouga was using the ones from Sango's bed.

The material wasn't as warm as the blanket but she hoped it would lull her to sleep soon enough. Looking over to InuYasha, she was comforted by his calm disposition as he settles into the comforters.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

They had already finished studying for the night and were tired from another dinner Jiji invited InuYasha to. Sitting in her family's living room, InuYasha looks over the framed photographs he already seen a thousand times, taking closer inspection on the photo sitting on the end table next to the entrance to the dining room, he frowns at the sight of the little girl sitting in her father's lap, holding a guitar.

"Hello—earth to InuYasha… you always space out every time you stare at that picture", she teases, closing away her textbooks. "What happened? The girl in that picture looks like she could've grown up to be…you know—hot", InuYasha laughs before being on the receiving end of Kagome's shoving jeer. "I think I look okay. Despite what Kaze says about my looks. I got to admit, I'm nervous about the makeover… what if I don't recognize myself?" "You will… just don't let the new look go to your head, you know. But I was just wondering whatever happened to the guitar in the picture. It looks like a classic", InuYasha notes, glaring at the photo again.

"Oh yeah? What do you know about guitars?" "Don't tell anyone this… but I used to take lessons. I stopped because Miro and the bastard thought I sound like a pansy sitting around singing stupid songs…", he whispers, looking away from Kagome's scrutinizing gaze. "I bet they were just jealous. How about you play for me—", she starts to suggests as she stands to go retrieve the instrument from storage closet next to the dining room entrance. "I haven't played for years… I doubt I even remember simple chords…", InuYasha begins to dismiss only to have his words fall short when Kagome returns with the polished black case. Setting the case on the coffee table in front of them, she carefully opens the container and takes out the darkly polished acoustic guitar inside. Blowing away any dust over the sound hole, she smiles before placing the guitar in InuYasha's shaking hands.

"Come on, I won't laugh. One song and if you suck, I'll just act like this never happened." "Okay, but even if by some miracle I sound good, I still don't want anyone to know. No one needs to know I'm compassionate and shit…", he laughs as he settles the guitar against his body, tuning the strings accordingly as he sets to sing out a few lines to Ne-Yo's "Part of the List". "Yeah, yeah. Add it to the list of other things I have to keep my mouth shut about…", she jokes in return. Strumming a soft chord, he takes a deep breath before turning shy eyes away from Kagome's anticipating ones and lightly humming the intro of the song as he flawlessly strings together a few chords into a noticeable tune.

"_Style of your hair… Shape of your eyes, and your nose… The way you stare, as if you see, right through to my soul… It's your left hip, and the way it's not, quite big as your right… The way you stand, in the mirror, before we go out at night… Our quiet time… your beautiful mind… They're all, part of the list… things that I miss… things like your funny, little laugh or the way, you smile, or the way we kiss… what I notice, is this… I come up with… Something new, every single time, that I sit, and reminisce…_" Stilling his hands, he carefully looks up to meet Kagome's adoring gaze as her mouth hangs wide open.

"InuYasha…" "Okay… that wasn't the best but I didn't think it was that bad…', he interrupts, putting the guitar back in its case. "No—that was amazing… you should join Show Choir. I know you're already busy between football practice and my tutoring you but we really need male vocals…", Kagome starts to excitedly rants. "Uh… sorry but I'm not ready to sing in front of an audience… Besides, I don't want anyone to—", he starts to dismiss as he closes the case. "Okay, already. I get it. You're seriously holding out though", she smiles. Picking up the case, she carries it back into the storage closet just as InuYasha stands up with his alarm going off, signaling the time for him to head home.

Walking him to the door, Kagome was about to wave him off when he surprisingly turns around to give her a hug. "Thanks for not laughing at me. I know I probably didn't sound all that good but it's nice that you didn't… well you know. Later, Gome", he waves off, slowly letting go of the completely still girl in the doorway.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

Sighing a breath of relief, she allows the memory to replay in her head as the slight chill in the air numbs her body into sleep.

* * *

Somewhere in the middle of the night, as the fire embers die down, Sango cuddles into Miroku's embrace as he remains blissfully unaware yet manages to pull her body against his so that their legs intertwined. His arm was lazily placed around her hip, lying against her thigh with the other cradling his head. Sango, not quite feeling comfortable with the compromising position of his roaming hands, tries to scoot away but was surprised at the feel of his palm now resting just above her pelvic bone, lightly smoothing the edges of her hip. Her breath hitches as her pulse begins to race with his fingers trailing towards a forbidden zone. Trying to remain completely still until he moves his hand away, Sango realizes her error as his fingers begin to venture further below, resting right above the slowly moistening part of her underwear.

She lightly whimpers in frustration as his body moves again, this time, he repositions himself against her, his fingers become trapped between her legs as he turns away from her to lie on his back. The hand under his head, snaking its way past her waist to mirror the previous position of the other hand on the opposite side. Sango moans with a stray finger pressing against her inner core, making her wetter by the moment. Her legs clamp together in excitement as Miroku lazily awakes and begins to stretch his fingers, only to come to face with the sound of Sango moaning aloud. Immediately he sits up and pulls his hands away as Sango hides her flushing face with the blanket they shared while on the small rug. Silently observing his slick fingertips, Miroku turns to Sango with a confused expression on his face.

"Miroku…", she begins to blush. Immediately Miroku tries to move off the floor and to his bed but Sango's hands were quicker as she held him to the ground. "I'm sorry… I was asleep and I guess I thought I was grabbing myself… I'll just go sleep on my bed…", he quickly tries to apologize when Sango sits up and kisses him forcefully. With that kiss, the two lovers lowered themselves to the floor again as multitudes of feelings unsaid were released in the heated contact. Sango begins to nibble lightly on Miroku's lip as her hands start to grope his hardening package through his pajama pants. Completely shocked and in massive disbelief, Miroku pulls away first to grab hold of his girlfriend's hands.

"Sango… do you have any idea what you're doing to me?", he mutters. "Yes… truce is over, Houshi. If you don't get over here and finish what you started, you won't get this chance again…", she erotically teases before yanking off Miroku's shirt and revealing herself topless and only clad in her pink boy shorts. Miroku didn't need to be told twice as his fingers quickly pulled out the loose ponytail her hair was held in as she quickly rids him of his pants. He stealthily grabs the condoms in his pocket just before she can toss the pants aside. Sango's dark auburn locks cascades down her back in one fell swoop as the hair blankets around her shoulders, covering her breast in a modest manner.

Miroku, stunned by his girlfriend's erotically pure look before him wastes no time tackling her lips again as his hands push aside her hair, fondling her perky, ample breast. With Sango's lips becoming puffed and slightly bruised, Miroku travels his kisses down the curve of her jaw line and into the hallow of her neck before making their way to her right breast. Sango mews in anguish as her fingers begin to claw down Miroku's back, urging him to allow her a release. Miroku merely smirks before lightly nipping at her bronzed nipples while allowing his fingers stroke her heated core. Overwhelmed by the sudden sensations, Sango arches her back off the floor as Miroku switches to her other nipple. With teasing pulses, Miroku expertly rubs over her nub as Sango loses more control with every miniature twitch. Steadily becoming more aroused with the feel of her getting wet to his touch, Miroku swiftly sheds away her underwear, tossing it across the room as he gawks at the girl beneath him while underhandedly putting on a condom.

Sango, uncomfortable with the lull of activity, slowly starts to cover herself with her hands. "Fuck—Sango, don't do that… you look fucking sexy… and with these little additions, you're so tender", he coaxes with a light flick of his tongue against her navel ring as Sango's hands slide back down her sides. Sango blushes slightly at his commentary before muttering, "Houshi…please… don't stop" Miroku smirks, licking away the slight trickle of blood from the healing piercing before lowering himself to the beauty before him and making a whispering promise, "That's not my name, babe… but I love the sound of you begging", and swiftly plunging into her awaiting channels.

Immediately Sango's breathing hitches in her throat as she feels him surpass her barrier, filling her body up to its core as her walls slightly stretch to accommodate him. With steady, careful pumps, Miroku eases himself in and out of her sex, exhaling a raspy breath at the feel of her walls squeezing down with every exit. Slowly becoming flush, Sango yearns into his thrust, raising her body from the bedding as she rises to the occasion and matches his stride. Miroku starts to accelerate as Sango continues matching his pace, the sounds of flesh repetitively hitting each other, filling the silence of the cabin in their fever.

In the contest of wits, soon the two were racing against time as their climaxes builds into a breaking point. Finally, with a few more exerted thrusts, Miroku nearly to his point, he trails a finger down her waist and in between the juncture of her legs, flicking her nub in an intoxicating rush, causing her body to arch into his touch again. With the final push, the two lovers scream out the other's name into the air before riding out the waves of their orgasm and collapsing into each other's arms. Silence reclaims the cabin as the two lovers focused on the other's breathing before allowing each other to detach.

As the two lay side by side, catching their breaths, Sango begins to groan at the feel of her insides throbbing with the burning sensation of her pierced flesh rushing with blood. "If I wasn't so tired, I'll say we can do that again", she smiles before attempting to sit up with the help of the nearby blanket for modesty. Miroku silently disposes of the condom before walking back over to Sango and carefully hoisting her nimble body into a cradling position. "Well I do try to deliver… but don't worry, next time… I'll take my time", he whispers, licking the edge of her sideburns as he carries her into the bathroom. "Keep talking like that and maybe next time can be a lot sooner…", she taunts allowing the blanket to fall off her skin as she watches Miroku adjusts the water in the shower.

"I would… but your piercings are all red, so maybe you should soak a bit before I attack you", he chides catching full sight of Sango's tanned, nude body in the distant moonlight peering through the narrow window near the top of the shower in the cabin's bathroom. "Never thought I would hear the day where Houshi actually turns down a girl offering him some action… If I knew giving you some would make you chill out, I would've gave in sooner", she winces as Miroku gently helps her climb into the shower before locking the door behind him. "Trust me, Sango… I'm far from chilled out… I'm just giving you a time out… you'll come crawling back…", he teases before receiving a playful punch against his shoulder.

* * *

A few hours later in, Kagome's cabin, InuYasha and Kouga awake as the morning chill brushes through the air. Kouga merely stretches before looking over his surroundings and trying to remember why his face ached so much. InuYasha was surprised at the warm feeling enveloping him as he takes off the massive comforter to relieve some of the heat. Looking past his enemy, he catches sight of Kagome bundled up tightly in multiple layers of thin sheets as a tear stained pillow lies against the floor. "_Figures… she always looks out for me… even when I don't deserve it_", InuYasha mentally ponders as he limps past Kouga with the blanket in hand.

Just as he was about to gently lay the blanket over Kagome's body; Kouga's loud voice fills the room. "What do you think you're doing with my Kagome, you mutt?" "Get a clue, shit for brains. She doesn't like you…she doesn't think about you, she doesn't even want to be around you. If you're too dumb to figure that out, maybe I need to beat it into your thick skull", InuYasha seethes just as Kagome begins to stir. "Please guys, you did so well throughout the night. Do you really have to start now?", she mumbles into the mattress. The two enemies continuing their silent battle with glares just as Kagome crawls out of bed and makes her way over to the bathroom again. The moment she closes the door, Kouga chooses to approach her first as he mutters to the bathroom door, "Hey, Kagome…you alright? I know I'm the last person you probably want to hear from but maybe you should give Tajiya a call. You went AWOL on one of your best friends without even giving her a chance. If it was Seiga, I'd say she was asking for it but not Tajiya" With no answer, Kouga starts to walk away but Kagome swings open her bathroom door and dashes to her cell phone to make a very awkward apology.

Meanwhile back over at Miroku's cabin, Miroku was in the middle of brushing his teeth with the help of the bright morning light and he catches sight of Sango's phone vibrating on the stand next to his bed. As Sango was about to stir from her sleep, he dives for the phone and answers it for her before she can fully awake. "Mmello?", he answers with a mouth full of foam as he walks over to the bathroom sink to rinse out his mouth. "Sango… I'm sorry…", the voice mutters into the phone. Spitting into the sink, he answers clearly. "Excuse me?" "Miroku… where's Sango?", Kagome asks a bit concerned for her friend. "She's still sleeping…", he begins just as Sango yawns and shouts, "Well, not anymore… give me my phone, you idiot." "Why don't you come and get it?", he taunts as he backs away from the bathroom and walks a wide space around his bed. Sango lunges at him as he grabs hold of her waist with his free hand, dropping the phone as it skids underneath the bed frame.

"Houshi…", she begins to whine as Miroku tightens his hold on her legs, pressing his arousal into her naked core. Sango begins to moan at the feel of his hardening package rubbing against her sex. "You know that's not what you called me just a few hours ago…", he leans forward to kiss the hollow in her neck as she begins to blush. A dial tone breaks the steady heat between the two as he lets her go so she can go reach for her phone under his bed. Popping up immediately, Sango begins to blush harder after looking at the caller ID on the phone. "Please tell me Kagome didn't here that…", she blushes. "And what does it matter?" "It doesn't, it's just—we have to go over there now…", she suddenly suggests as she begins to reach for her clothes before running into the bathroom. "But the storm...", he begins. "It's passed, look we even have power again", Sango beams as she flicks on the bathroom light.

"I was hoping you didn't notice that…", Miroku groans before walking over to his suitcase to dress in a new pair of jeans. "Plus, we have to check in at the next activity at 4pm, right after roll-call. I want to go look for Rin, after I have a talk with Kagome", Sango confirms as she steps out of the bathroom, sloppily dressed in Miroku's pants and her pink sweater. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun as she throws on her pink parka and slips into her snow boots. Miroku rolls his eyes at her hurry, smirking at the sight of his pants hung off her narrow hips as he casually throws on a black cable knit sweater over his jeans. Before he can even finish tying his boots, Sango drags Miroku outside of his cabin, locking his door behind him.

* * *

Alone, inside of his cabin, Naraku scratches away at his sketchbook, his laptop falling asleep during the night with no power in his cabin. After making some personal calls, he begins to contemplate phase two of his plan to bring down Takahashi Empire. A series of sketches of a pregnant Kikyo, a battered Kagura and Kanna, and a bloody Rin, line the small counter space in front of his bed. Finally, he places down his sketchpad and smiles eerily as he fingers the sketch he completed of a bounded Kagome inside of a cell. "Such a foolish girl… too bad you became just the pawn I needed", he speaks to himself. Picking up his cell phone, he dials a familiar number as a muffled voice answers the voice. "Hakudoshi." "Have you cleared up the tangled webs of your mess, Mr. Hihi", he asks impatiently.

"You let me worry about that. First, I need you to discontinue all ties from Miko. She's of no use now. Soon, her family will have to claim bankruptcy after proof of her infidelity to InuYasha comes to air. Nevertheless, don't leave without destroying the results of the test. The crumbling of Sesshoumaru's half is a bit more difficult. He's not as sentimental about relationships as the other Takahashi men. Nonetheless, we can take him down if we cripple the lives of the other two so he'll be force to take responsibility for the entirety. Moreover, since, he's far from being prepared for company take-over, he'll be so overwhelmed, he'll agree to any demand I can give him as long as he only sees the benefits. Just in case, we need to use that Seiga girl as leverage… test the waters and see how far they ripple so to speak", Naraku explains. "What about that Higurashi girl, I want my revenge for what that bitch did to my hair. It's already shedding as it is and she had the audacity to yank it", Hakudoshi jokes.

"Lucky for you, she has become of some actual use besides Miko's petty actions. She's the new focus of the younger Takahashi's attention. Just leave her to me and soon enough you'll get what you desire. As for Kaze, I need you to keep a closer eye on her. She's been moving too freely these days and I'm not one to let that past so just give me a follow up report on her. Otherwise, there may not be a way for me to actually pay you…", Naraku begins. "Consider it already done. Should I charge the fee for my services to your usual account?", Hakudoshi rushes. "Do as you wish", Naraku confirms as he hangs up his phone. "If only Kikyo didn't make such a silly error… she would've been a great partner", Naraku questions aloud. "_No one said popularity didn't come with its price at Feudal High_", he mentally confirms before putting away his sketches diligently.

* * *

Back in the hometown of the Feudal High students, underneath the distant night sky, Hakudoshi sits inside of an old broken down building as his workers finish adding his basement attachment. "_This Hihi fellow sure keeps life interesting. He probably has no idea that I already gotten the results for Miko's test as part of her request. Lucky for him, I'm pretty much done with her, after he let me in on the insight of her wealth. I'll do them both this last favor before being rid of them. Must, remember to contact and warn sis_", he mentally chatters as a dim smile cracks upon his lips.


	16. The Good In Goodbye

**The Good in Goodbye**

Just as Kagome was about to drive herself crazy trying to figure out what to say between the two adversary boys sitting in her cabin, a knock on the cabin door rescues her. Bolting to the door, she was more than shock at the sight in front of her. Sango stood, shivering in oversized pants covered with snow just past the calves of her boots, with her hooded pink parka drawn tight around her head. "Oh my god, Sango get your butt in here before you catch a cold! Where is Houshi, he's supposed to—", Kagome ushers her friend in. The moment Sango strolls in, Kagome was relieved when she saw Miroku trailing behind her, not shivering as much since he was dressed comfortably, but with snow sticking to his jeans.

Closing the door behind the couple, Kagome wastes no time shoving Sango into their bathroom before quickly diving into her friend's suitcase and pulling out a set of clothes for her to change into. Quickly instructing Miroku to help her other 'guests' start a new cabin fire, Kagome enters the bathroom only to run out screaming. "WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE ALL OVER YOUR FACE!?", Kagome shouts into the widely open restroom. Luckily, Sango was now wearing a towel before she steps out of the room with her ears darkening to her hair color brightening the flecks of silver studs in embarrassment.

"About these… Rin was getting a tattoo last night as part of some dumb dare. I was tricked into doing this but long story short: the longer her tattoo took, the more piercings I had to get. It's nothing serious—just an extra lobe piercing on each ear, one on each tragus, an industrial on my right, a rook on my left, the little doo-dad on my eyebrow, my tongue, my nose and a navel piercing. So 14 altogether. They're a bitch but the cold sort of help… besides I think they look pretty badass", she explains. Kagome walks up to her friend and closely examine each studded hole with scrutiny as the boys in the cabin, except Miroku, gawk at Sango's reddening face. "What is your dad going to say?" "Psh… As if he'll even know and before you worry about infection—I have the antiseptic back at Houshi's cabin", Sango blinks.

"How the hell were you able to put that on?", Kagome questions pointing out the outfit cast aside on the floor of the bathroom that Sango was wearing. "It really isn't that bad… a dull ache really… but for the next couple of weeks, so not going to wear anything tight. At least I won't have to hear Kagura bitching me out about showing off my manish stomach", Sango jokes as Kagome shakes her head at her friend. "I'll tell you what… her jealousy would be missed. You sure you don't want to fuel her fire?", Miroku jokes. "How was Miroku able to touch you with all of those… as of matter of fact, I think those entertained him more. Good idea in keeping him, Sango", InuYasha laughs aloud causing Kagome to blush. "Oh yeah? I bet you found something just as entertaining—", Miroku starts before letting the sentence fall as he takes note of Kagome's mild blush and Kouga's dismissive growl.

"Um…on that note, you boys need to leave while us girls get ready to meet up at the next rendezvous spot with dictator Sesshoumaru", Sango jokes as she ushers all male guests out of their cabin with little effort. Miroku pauses at the door and grabs at her waist. "What's your hurry? I'll be up and ready for round three later on", he whispers before teasing her lips with a lingering kiss. Sango's blushing skin stands in the doorway as he chuckles before closing the cabin door behind him. Kagome rolls her eyes before shoving her best friend into the bathroom.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stands inside of his private cabin, fresh out of the shower, with a mere towel wrapped around his lower body and a dead stare at the girl that has caused him so much dismay. "The answer is still no", he seethes while staring at the topless girl wrapped only in his bed sheets. "Come on. The first time was out of obligation curiosity… now this is purely experimental… Do not make me beg, Sesshoumaru", Kagura tries to explain. "As much as this Sesshoumaru is flattered, the terms of our contract are up." With a scoff, she hops off the bed, walks toward his frozen disposition, and drops her sheets. "Terms, you say… Last, I check I decide when the terms are up. Moreover, if you do not strut your ass over here in the next five seconds, I'll be force to hold up my end of the penalties. I'm sure you do not want your precious Rin to be subjected to cruelty of the media from my personal leak", she bribes.

Reaching out, he grabs hold of her frail neckline and pins her body to the mattress behind them. "If I were you and you were smart Ms. Kaze, I would think twice before attempting to earn a free fuck to appease any more of your maniacal curiosity. You have all the ammunition needed to further pursue your case to the proper authorities. If you so choose to continue on your rambunctious misgiving about your desire to control me, I would certainly put an end you", Sesshoumaru simply states as he ignores Kagura's gasping. With a wicked smile, she whispers against his hold, "Don't worry. I won't tell your darling star about how hard you came. Or are you more concerned that you will become addicted to something you can actually have…"

Immediately smoothing out the irritated features on his face, he slowly rises off her pressed body and turns his back to the blackmailer. "Get out." "Fine. You are right. I do have everything I want and need in order to further pursue my endeavors. Nonetheless, I do not have the means to settle my skeletons. Moreover, as tightlipped as you are, neither do you. No matter what you do, you can never get her back… she's spoiled goods… there was nothing you could do for her as long as she harbored this weight of self-hatred", she concludes before grabbing her coat and storming out in the cool, crisp air of the freshly fallen snow.

Silence fills the cabin as Sesshoumaru finally moves to close the door behind her and begin relighting the fireplace. "No matter how far from the path she strays…I will be there", he breathes before slowly getting dressed.

* * *

The day continues without much events happening and soon 4pm rolled around and it was time for the next activity on the required itinerary for Feudal High: Team Snow Sled Race. Our favorite characters soon became partnered up in teams of two as everyone had a moment to pick out their sleds. Miroku coupled up with Sango while Kanna was with Yura, Shouta with Shiori, Ah with Un, Hojo with Ayame, and finally Kagura with Kikyo. As Sesshoumaru made sure all his charges was participating in this required activity, he rolls his eyes in nuisance at the sight of the remaining people without partners standing idly in the snow and the note of missing attendees. "Takahashi, Ookami, and Hihi, looks like you are the last to be partnered. Ookami and Hihi you would be pairs on this race, and Takahashi would accompany me on the search for our missing students", Sesshoumaru dictates without waiting around to hear any complaints from the applicable party.

InuYasha immediately runs behind his older sibling as he waves off his two nemeses. "You think it's a bright idea to put together our biggest headaches?", InuYasha grumbles. "Focus on discovering where Ms. Higurashi disappeared to. She is not one invest in the act of not being punctual. This Sesshoumaru will figure out a way to find Ms. Seiga and return her back to her cabin for immediate repercussions. This is not the first occasion she deliberately disregards authority and it is not happening under the watch of this Sesshoumaru", he instructs. "If you wanted to have her alone—just say so. No need for hidden alibis. Just do me a favor and be honest with the people it counts", InuYasha murmurs. "That chapter is long gone… it is this Sesshoumaru's responsibility to make sure she does not endanger herself by any means necessary", Sesshoumaru dismisses as the two head toward the assigned cabins of their search. "_As if… you never take time out to 'be responsible' for anyone. I just hope you realize you actually are serious about her before it hurts her more_", InuYasha mentally concludes as he continues his journey.

* * *

Kagome finishes tying the laces of her snow boots before checking over her look. Reminiscing dialogue from the morning's makeup session with Sango replaying constantly in her head as she smirks at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

After showering and changing into clean clothes, she sits in front of Sango, afraid to look at her. Silence fills the cabin as an awkward air surrounds them. "I'm sorry…", they both begin to say before smiling and hugging each other. "I shouldn't have harped on you like that", she said. "And I shouldn't have abandoned you like that. We're losing Rin by the second, we need to stay strong and stand together if we ever want our friendship back. If we fall apart… this popularity thing isn't worth it", Sango swears. "And I have to become stronger myself… don't worry about us anymore Sango. Apparently Rin doesn't have a problem with you so I will fix whatever happened between us." "About that…", Sango begins. "I don't want you to tell me. If I hear it from her mouth, maybe I can clear up any misunderstandings and stop putting you between us", Kagome cheekily proposes.

Shaking her head in a sigh, Sango reaches over to hug her again before laughing as she pulled away. "I'll tell you everything about last night as soon as I recover from the shock…", she blushes. "It was that good, huh?", Kagome teases as she dashes out of reach of Sango's swinging arms. "Kagome…", Sango whines. "You think I going to let you leave without hearing about how good he was in bed or if he was able to live up to all his lecherous bluffs or what it felt like?" "Well…", Sango laughs.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

"Ugh… I'll never be able to look at Miroku the same way again…", Kagome mutters to herself as a blush creeps along her skin. Looking at the clock hanging above the cabin's fireplace, she quickly throws on her black, wool peacoat before hiking across snow banks to make it to the schedule event. On her way to the Snow Sledding Race, Kagome catches sight of Rin leaning against a tree in a desolate snow covered woods area, talking to a group of unfamiliar men. Kagome was about to go on her merry way, not wishing to meddle in Rin's bad behavior until she noticed one of the men shoving Rin against the trunk. Alarms spark off in her mind as the next moments went by in a blur.

Creeping closer to the scene, Kagome removes the clunky banana clip holding her hair together and aims it at the assailant's head as he continues shoving at Rin, shaking the girl like a bobble doll. Lucky for her, the clip made its target as it strikes the man's eye. Unfortunately, the three men turn toward her, summoning her towards them. "What the fuck is your problem?", the shortest one of the trio shouts at her. "Oh, sorry. Crazy thing—this darn thing was in my eye and I was trying to fix my hair and it just flew out of my hand—no biggie though. I'll just take it back", Kagome quickly spills out, approaching the group cautiously. "Oh em gee! Girl, I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing out here?", she beams at Rin with a bright eerie smile.

"That's none of your business", one of the taller men dismisses as soon as Kagome comes to stand before them. "Go away. I can handle this myself", Rin mumbles. "Hey there, that's no way to speak to your friend. What's your name pretty lady?", the presumed leader, gripping the lapel of Rin's coat, asks. He was the tallest of the trio but standing in front of Kagome, the three thugs look very nonthreatening. However, what these men lacked in height they made up for in their bulky disposition of their bundled outerwear over presumably large muscles. In a brief moment of meeting the other girl's eyes, Kagome merely blinks before answering. "My name—Katia… Can I actually have a word with my friend—you guys can keep the clip", Kagome speaks up, placing herself between Rin and her attackers.

"Ah… you see, that's a request we can't really fill. You're friend took our money to get that pretty tattoo she's hiding on her shoulder. So unless you plan on paying us back—there's going to be some problems", the leader explains. "Yeah and there's only one payment we're accepting and you don't look like the type of girl to dally in that stuff", the shortest of the thugs taunts. Kagome raises an eyebrow before glaring at the cowering stance of her friend behind her. With her back to the trio of men, she puts a little distance between the two before she whispers against Rin's ears, "Just give them what they want and head to the event. Those pills don't help you anyway." "One—you don't know anything about the drugs I take and two—I… I only have a few left. And it's a lot less than what they paid for", Rin whispers back frantically. Kagome stared at her friend's embarrass face as she determines her next course of action.

"Okay when I turn around, run up the hill and get help. I'll distract them so don't look back…", Kagome confirms in a frantic whisper. "Kagome!", Rin quietly shrieks. "I'll be fine…", Kagome mutters with a smirk at mocking Rin's typical annoyed tone. Turning back around, the men watch as Rin slowly backs away from them while Kagome kicks at the leader's shins. Rin soon makes a run for it as two of the men grab at Kagome with Rin being just out of their reach of the leader. With his cronies tossing Kagome onto the snowy ground, the leader regains his composure before aiming a kick against her bundled abdomen. Stopping in her tracks, Rin turns back at the sound of Kagome crying out in pain. Hiding behind a tree further up the snow banks, Rin gasps in shock at the sight of the force of the men attacking. Gnashing her teeth together to hold in further yelps of pain, Kagome catches sight of Rin hidden behind the tree trunk in the distance and gently ushers the girl away as the thugs continue their tirade on her.

The men yank Kagome's huddled body up and shove her against the tree trunk, taking turns punching the previously kicked bundled abdomen as she violently kicks out. Unable to continue watching another person take a beating for her, Rin takes off her shoe, hobbles closer to the scene and launches it at the men. The black, clunky, combat boot hits the leader at the back of his head, distracting him long enough to get the other boot right in his face. Rin races back down the hill and throws the remaining bottles of Oxycotin and Percocet before yelling at the men to go away, threatening that she will call the authorities. The men linger away as the leader leaves a warning for Rin, backhanding her face after she reaches Kagome's crumpled form. "Don't mess in this business if you can't keep track with the supply", he warns before retreating. Nursing the darkening bruise against her cheek, Rin glares intently as the men disappear into the wooded area of the snowy hills before kneeling down to her battered friend coughing up specks of blood.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!", she shouts at Kagome's shivering form. Finding a moment to breathe through her bloodstained lips, Kagome sputters, "I-I…I'm sorry, Rin. I don't know… why you're mad at me but I can't let that stop me… from reminding you how much I love you… even if you're stubborn." "This isn't what I wanted… It's not—", Rin whimpers, pulling Kagome's upper body into her lap. "Whatever I did… do you forgive me?", Kagome breathes. Rin's falling tear touches Kagome's bloodied lip as she continues to cough up more specks of blood. "I think that asshole broke something", Kagome groans. "It wasn't worth this, Gome", Rin sniffles as the sound of quickly approaching footsteps fills the cold winter air.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE?!", InuYasha shouts from the top of the snowy hill with Sesshoumaru in tow. Quickly the two guys helped up the girls into supportive positions with InuYasha cradling Kagome's limp body in his arms while Rin use Sesshoumaru's out stretched arm as a crutch. Immediately they headed towards the ski resort's infirmary, hoping resources weren't diminished due to the storm as Kagome begins to blackout.

* * *

Within moments, Kagome was rushed into emergency care with InuYasha immediately phoning Sango and Miroku to pull out of the race and to head down to the Ski Resort's infirmary. Sesshoumaru was busy phoning away Kagome's mother so she can know of her daughter's condition. Unfortunately, the blizzard blocked the roads leading to the resort so there was no way anyone can leave or come in for the next couple of days, leaving Sesshoumaru as temporary guardian.

Meanwhile as Rin was questioned by the police officers on scenes, the officials were only able to pull very vague details about the incident with Rin being tight lipped and in shock. The officers had no choice but to conclude that the girls were victims of battery and miscellaneous assault as there was barely any evidence at the scene except for receding footprints that disappeared into the depths of the woods. After the paperwork cleared away, Rin waits with her comrades outside of Kagome's room as they wait for the medics to repair the source of Kagome's apparent internal bleeding. This includes InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Sesshoumaru, Shouta, Shiori, Ah, and Un. The aforementioned also completing their line of questioning and refusing to speak to Rin as she was presumed the guilty party despite the police officials' dismissal.

InuYasha paces the hall as a bored Sesshoumaru, calls in the remainder of his charges and pulls them out of the itinerary of events with the assistance of Miroku. Sango, InuYasha and Rin's new posse of social delinquents, sit across from each other, in the small space, glaring at the other as Rin sits in the middle of the gathering.

"I'm sorry…", Rin breathes out at the rising tension in the room. "That's not going to make Kagome better, so just hold your apologies", InuYasha snaps. "InuYasha!", Miroku scolds, putting his phone away. "No… he's right. What were you doing out there, Rin?", Sango meekly whispers. Raising her knees to her chest, Rin buries her head in the small crevice as she wraps her arms around herself, crying, "I KNOW I'M A FUCK UP OKAY! YOU DON'T NEED TO REMIND ME OF IT EVERY LIVING SECOND!" Sango reaches a hand out to yank Rin out of her cowering stance only to have Shouta, Ah and Un restrain her actions as Rin looks at her with tear filled eyes.

Slowly standing up, she grabs Shouta's hand and exits the scene, leaving the waiting area in an awkward silence. Shiori finally stands up after clearing her throat at the tension. "I know you blame us for enabling her habit. And before you say it—I know you don't blame me since I'm new here but I've been with these guys long enough to know that Seiga done this to herself. Yeah, we're just as guilty but I watched as they honestly tried everything to stop her from spiraling out of control." Dropping their hands, the twin brothers soothe their defensive faces into sympathetic ones as they both reach a hand out to Sango. Sango drops her glare to shake the hands of her previous nemesis. "Koumori is sugar-coating it but I can honestly say that when she's with us, my bro and I definitely keep an eye out for her. It's just…", Ah begins to explain with an apologetic look to Shiori.

"The only one that can make her just stop is—Shouta… They have this chemistry that just works and we stopped questioning it. But lately Shouta has been speaking about his girlfriend, you know to get Rin to back off. Then when Shiori finally showed up, he just lost control of her. Hence the dare…", Un follows up. "Whose bright idea was that exactly?", InuYasha growls at the brothers. Ah and Un give each other a look before scoffing at the threatening stance of the silver-haired teenager. Before InuYasha could charge at the two boys, Sesshoumaru catches a grip on his shoulder, aptly locking his phone with his other hand. "Pardon the mongrel. Explain Ms. Seiga progression. What was her next dangerous stunt?", Sesshoumaru questions.

"Okay. Name your price", Un grins as Sesshoumaru raises an eyebrow at his inquiry. "What my brother means is that we can't really tell you anything because we will be incriminating ourselves. Now if we have your word—a verbal contract saying that no consequence would come from our admittance, then we would gladly share", Ah cleans up with a sheepish smile. "Then you are both mistaken as it was understood that any deliberate act of rule breaking would result on immediate dismissal from this event. However, seeing that neither of you two have parental figures to turn to and no one to aptly discipline you, and with the roads in their present condition, this Sesshoumaru thought you would be more than obliging", Sesshoumaru dismisses with a cold glare at the two brothers.

"When you put it that way—Seiga got some money together and met us out by this dingy tattoo shop just up the hillside and in the outskirts of town", Un quickly spills out as his brother frowns. "About that—where did she get the money from? I mean it was also enough for some extra additions", Miroku inquires as he walks back over to Sango's side. "Hell if we know—she had given Shouta this black card to hold and disappeared…", Shiori pouts. "How long until she returned back to the cabin?", Sango groans. "She left after roll call and then met us at the tattoo parlor. Shiori said you guys were having some sort of dress rehearsal so we had her meet us there…", Ah explains. "Well good job keeping an eye on her… we didn't meet for that dress rehearsal until 8:30PM yesterday. With roll call being finished at 6:00PM , that's nearly 3 hours unaccounted for and she was late…", InuYasha sighs. Before anyone can make a commentary at the revelation of the facts, the doors to Kagome's operation room swing open as her bandage body, laid out on a mobile gurney is wheeled into her own personal room with the gathering trailing quickly afterward.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rin sits outside the infirmary, on a hospital bench with Shouta by her side, coaching her to take deep breaths as she tries to get a handle on her emotions. "Rin… you have to go cold turkey… you promised that you would before the trip… Now look at what happened", Shouta explains as Rin lets go of his hand. "Don't sit there and start acting all high and mighty just because your girlfriend is here. You have a distraction from your pain—I have nothing. The only people I could turn to are all too busy with their own dilemmas", Rin cries, wiping furiously at her dark stained, tear streaked face.

"Don't say that. You said that the last time you visited your dad that he was making progress and fighting to get back to normal. I'm sure that if you try, Kagome and Sango would listen to you. Plus, you always have the guys and me if you want to just cut back… and now even Shiori", he tries to cheer up.

"No, no, no, no! You don't get it, Shouta. My dad is a frigging liar. I spoke to the orderlies before I left my last visit and they say he's degenerating and may have to be moved into the psyche ward. I almost got Kagome killed and I doubt if Sango would even let me speak to her. Lately, Ah and Un have been ditching me as well and I can't blame them if this is what I do to my friends. After our kiss and now with Shiori here, you're forgetting me day by day… I know—we were both drunk and it shouldn't have ever happened but you can't sit here and tell me everything will be okay when the only thing I can rely on, you want me to quit… it's just too much", Rin spills, only to have her pity party interrupted by Shouta pulling her body into a tight embrace against his.

"Rin… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you alone. Hell, if anything, I thought I was helping you cope when I started to hang out with you less and less. Even if we did see each other in that way, I don't want our friendship to suffer by me becoming your rebound. For a while, I honestly thought you were getting better, which is why I asked you to go cold turkey. I know you don't want to speak to anymore psychiatrist but what other solution is there, Rin?" Pulling her head out of his shoulder, Rin peers up to dark emerald eyes as they stared back down at her earthy brown orbs. In a breathy whisper, she raises her lips to Shouta's chin. Before he can respond, a light shriek voices into the air behind the couple as they quickly pull apart to turn to the source of the surprising pip.

"Shiori…", Shouta reaches out, quickly standing up from the bench. Raising a pale hand, Shiori stops Shouta's excuses as she confronts Rin. "Let me guess—you were helping her out and that thing that almost happened was just an accident…Well, how convient it was of me to be here. Now, I'm putting an end to this before it goes any further", she dismisses, walking over to stand between the two, nearly looming over Rin in matching Shouta's height. "Shiori—", Shouta tries to interrupt only to be on the receiving end of a death glare from his girlfriend. "It is okay, Shouta. You're right, Koumori. It's not his job to come to my rescue. I have to help myself before—", Rin begins only to have words clipped at the sight of Shiori's tears. "Cut the act, Seiga. You're just busting his chops, right. The only one who you have to be real with is not here so keep the pity to yourself…", Shiori dismisses before humming the beginning tune to Glee's "Rumor Has It/Someone like You".

"_She… she ain't real… She ain't gonna be able, to love you—like I will… She is a stranger… You and I have history, or don't you remember… Sure… she's got it all… But, baby—is that really, what you want… Bless your soul… you've got your head, in the clouds… You made a fool, out of you… And, boy, she's bringing you down… She made your—heart melt, But you're cold—to the core… Now rumor has it, she ain't got your, love anymore…_", Shiori begins singing, glaring intently at Rin. The two girls simultaneously begin rhythmically chanting, "_Rumor has it… Rumor has it… Rumor has it… Rumor has it…_" "_Don't forget me, I beg… I remember… you said…_", Rin harmonizes out as Shiori drags Shouta away.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the students under Sesshoumaru's charge were pulled out of the scheduled race and told to wait in the lower quarters of the Ski Resort's infirmary. Kikyo, Kanna and Yura were sitting on one side of the room with Kouga while Shouta, Shiori, Ah, Un, Hojo, and Ayame sat on the opposite side of the room confused at the events to take a turn. Last, to enter the room were Kagura and Naraku, completely out of breath and slightly disheveled. This earned weird looks from the waiting room's inhabitants as the two took their seats at opposite end of the gathering of the popular clique.

"Well, well…where the hell have you two been?", Kouga questions the awkward silence in the room upon their arrival. As Naraku mumbles a dismissive, "None of your business", Kagura smirks and rolls her eyes as she announces, "Fucking each other's brains out." This caused Kikyo to start coughing as Yura and Kanna give each other looks while Naraku smiles sheepishly in embarrassment. "Interesting…", Ayame mutters. "Why—is there a problem?", Kagura dismisses as she picks up a magazine on the waiting table. "I never would've thought you went that way. Let alone with—", Yura begins only to have Kanna elbow her. "What Yura means is that with Naraku as your intended, we weren't aware of any romantic ties between the two of you", Kanna quickly covers, taking care not to look across the seating area at the other half of the gathering.

"Oh. I was not aware that I had to update you on the status of my vagina. Moreover, it is not as if we had anything better to be doing, seeing that we have both been single for so long…", Kagura dismisses with a sly look at Kikyo's flustered face. "Naraku—can I speak with you a moment?", Kikyo calls out, directing her eyes towards the nearby stairway exit. Naraku nods his head in agreement, swiftly standing to follow Kikyo's lead away from the group. "Do not go too far. We would not want Mr. Takahashi worrying about your whereabouts—not that I do not trust you myself…", Kagura calls out as the couple close the door to the stairwell exit behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sango cries against the sheets of Kagome's hospital bed as Rin wallows in her self-pity. Kagome lies still as she recovers from a couple of fractured ribs while Rin hosts only a slightly bruised cheek. "I'm sorry…", she meekly whispers before reaching into her pocket for a couple doses of emergency Percocet pills the hospital administered after checking her anxiety levels. Seeing Rin attempting to pop a few pills, Sango smacks away Rin's handful unto the floor.

"ISN'T THAT EXACTLY WHAT STARTED THIS MESS? HOW MUCH FAITH ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT IN YOUR STUPID PRESCRIPTION THAT YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO EVEN TALK TO THE VERY PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT ANYMORE? THE SAME PEOPLE YOU CONTINUE TO HURT WITH YOUR FUCKING DEPENDENCY ON SOMETHING THAT ONLY TAKES AWAY YOUR PAIN SHORTLY. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH OUR HEARTS ACHE TO WATCH YOU DO THIS YET YOU CONTINUE TO BE SO SELFISH AND NOT LET US HELP? DON'T YOU THINK WE CARE? HOW CAN YOU THROW AWAY YEARS OF TRUST FOR SOMETHING THAT GOES AWAY WITHIN A DAY!", Sango screams with rage as tears run down her face.

"I'm sorry…", Rin continuously murmurs as Kagome stirs lightly in her slumber. "I said it once and I'm not going to say it again. SORRY is not going to cut it this time. I don't know what's going on in your head… I don't know who you are anymore. You need to give up the drugs before you harm yourself anymore. I don't care how you do it but I want it done before the end of this school year. In fact, don't talk to us until you're clean… Kagome was your last hope and now you have no one", Sango seethes, ignoring Rin's tears through wide eyes. Kagome awakens from the sudden tension in the room and notices the tear stained faces of her best friends as she begins lightly humming the tune to Charlie Chaplin's Smile. "_Smile, though your heart is aching… Smile, even though it's breaking… When there are clouds in the sky… you'll get by…_", Kagome weakly begins. "_If you smile… through your pain and sorrow… Smile and maybe tomorrow… You'll see the sun come shining through… for you…_", Sango chimes in.

"_Light up your face with gladness… Hide every trace of sadness… Although a tear may be ever so near…_", Rin harmonizes a weary voice. Soon the three girls some up the song together. "_That's the time… you must keep on trying… Smile, what's the use of crying… You'll find that life is still worthwhile… If you'll just… Smile…_" Wiping away her tears, Rin kisses Kagome's forehead before lightly apologizing and exiting the room. In the hall of the Ski Resort's infirmary, Rin walks past a mellowed Miroku with a pacing InuYasha and past an awkward Shouta towards the last of her comrades. Ah and Un turn their backs to her the moment she approaches them as Rin falters her step and changes course to the stairwell exit.

Rin turns around to come face to face with Sesshoumaru's expressionless mask glazing over the body of students for which he was responsible. Taking a deep breath, she marches back in the direction of Ah and Un, harshly tapping Ah on his shoulder as she beams an eerie bright smile. "What was that for?", Ah asks rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder. "I need to get away from this place, you guys up for one last hurrah", Rin bribes, nonchalantly putting her hand in her pocket. "Seriously—Seiga, wake up. You just put your friend in here because of those things and you rather sit out there and get one last high", Un scoffs. "Guys… it was a mistake… I don't know what came over me… I'm sorry", Rin begins to plead. "No—Rin, you don't get it. After the stunt you pulled with Shiori, we want nothing more to do with you. You're a junkie who doesn't even value the lives of the people around you… or their time… so save it… we're done with you", Ah dismisses before heading over to Shouta. "You were a blast to hang around but I don't need you fucking up my life and putting me in a hospital too", Un follows.

Embarrassed at the situation she suddenly put herself in, Rin reaches into her jacket pocket for her pills only to feel an empty container. The only other thing in her possession that she can use to numb away the rising ache in her heart was a carton of cigarettes. Ignoring the questioning looks from the surrounding staff and a few peers, Rin rushes out the opposite exit of the infirmary to find some lonely solace.

* * *

Downstairs, at the lower level of the infirmary, two cousins argue about the terms of their contract as the loves of their lives continue to dwell in emotional turmoil. "The deal is off; she went too far this time and who knows if Shiori will ever speak to me again. I'm tired of living this loser lifestyle. I admit she's a nice girl when she's not getting some type of high but I can't do your dirty work anymore", Shouta complains while taking off his wig and smearing his makeup with a swipe of his hand. "This Sesshoumaru does not solicit anything, but as a family affiliate—_your_ cousin… it was understood that you would take sympathy on this case. Being trapped by this predicament, all that is needed is a question of time", Sesshoumaru tries to explain.

"Well, I'm sorry because it's about _time_ that the world figured out that Shippou Kitsune is back in the country. Besides, I miss hanging out with my other friends. My cover was almost blown last night when Souta's older sister nearly recognized me… You can get out of your problem by returning to the beginning again. After observing the situation, what she needs most is someone to guide her again, so let that someone be you", he advises before heading back up the flight of stairs to his girlfriend. Sesshoumaru was left pondering his cousin's last fleeting words as he finalizes his resolve about the girl he can't forget. "_Rin… I cannot do anything for you… I have not been able to protect you properly… Perhaps—no… it is the time for drastic measures… _", he mentally confirms before trailing outside in the opposite direction.

* * *

Also absent from the messy scenario in the infirmary, Kikyo and Naraku stand in close quarters, facing each other at the bottom of the emergency exit of the infirmary stairwell, whispering harshly as they speak about hidden agendas.

"I know it's not his. The timeline isn't right. What the hell am I supposed to do now?", Kikyo whimpers. "Kikyo… my dear Kikyo… you have nothing to worry about. Just continue taking your prenatal vitamins and believe me when I said I have everything taken care of", Naraku coos, raising a hand to cup the side of her face. Shrugging her face out of his touch, Kikyo glares at the young man before her. "News flash—Hihi. I ran out of prenatal drugs. Honestly… I'm not even sure if I want to keep this kid… not if it means taking a lot of his bullshit behavior. I'm losing ground here. He's busy chasing after that fucking slutty nun and I'm seriously exhausted trying to keep up with him and throwing the Ookami cock block. Not to mention that Urufu is an entire new bag of trouble and Hea is a backstabbing bitch for taking so kindly to her." With a wave of his hand, Naraku pulls Kikyo into a kiss as he cautiously pops a new bottle into her sweater pocket. With the slight weight against her hip, Kikyo pulls away from the contact with a confused expression on her face.

"What's this?" "The answer to all our problems… more time. I had a new prescription filled out for you. Whenever you are out, you come to me. Let me handle the Takahashi situation. You have done a wonderful job so far, Miko. Don't worry. In a matter of a few weeks, we would have the Takahashi Empire on their knees. Your family can reclaim their bonds and get back on their feet and we can finally put an end to that backstabbing InuYasha and his older conniving brother…", Naraku promises. With a dangerous smirk, Kikyo leans in to plant a chaste kiss on Naraku's lips.

"As for Kagura…", she whispers, opening the bottle in her pocket and popping a couple of capsules within. "Leave her to me…", Naraku dismisses as he rearranges his attire. "Okay, Hihi. I'm relying on you. Don't fuck up on me…", Kikyo smiles as she walks back up the flight of steps, leaving Naraku to stew in his thoughts.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

Naraku dusts off the snow clumps from his behind as he climbs off the toboggan with his partner, Kouga Ookami. The duo made it into the semifinal round of the Team Snow Sled Race when the arbitrators pull them out of the competition and directed the duo to head to the resort's infirmary upon their chaperone's directions.

On the way to the small institution, it was revealed that Kagome was the classmate in trouble, Kouga raced off, leaving Naraku to catch up on his own. That's when Naraku caught sight of her—Kagura Kaze, leaning against a snow covered tree stump, staring intently at him. Cautiously making his way over to her, he was surprised by her sudden grip on his hand as she lead him in the opposite direction of the infirmary and towards her empty cabin.

Once inside, she didn't waste any time and immediately locked the door behind him before throwing herself onto him. In a matter of moments, she had him topless as she stood before him in a solitary pair of black laced boy shorts. With a devilish smirk, Kagura pushes him onto her bed before ripping open his pants and freeing his stiffening erection. Trailing delicately manicured fingers up his arousal, Naraku held in his moan as he watched the girl before him stroke him with care.

Not able to withstand her torturous slow, long strokes, he flips her onto her back and swiftly removes her panties before plunging himself into her opening. At the feel of her tight walls clenching around his arousal, he nearly exploded. Instead, he steadies his pace inside of her as he slowly pumps into her body. Soon, Kagura begins clawing her finger into his arms as she raises her hips, urging him to move faster as she throws off his pace with her own rabid one.

Finally, she pulls her body off his erection, and sits up on the bed, naked and slightly flushed compared to Naraku's half dressed and sweating stance. "That was a shame… this entire time I thought I was just gay… Maybe I was just screwing around with the wrong dudes. Your stroke could use a little work, your timing and your breathing is satisfactory at best and don't get me started on your thrusting…", Kagura grades as she begins to get dressed with haste. "I never had any complaints before—Kaze, you took me by surprise. Perhaps you don't have what it takes to make me rise to the occasion", Naraku defends. "Funny—I guess I should have a selfish attitude, large breast, wide hips, and a dirty mouth like Miko", Kagura snips.

"Is that what this was about?", he asks, rebutting his pants. "That and now I have all the proof I need to prove your infidelity. You should thank your little queen. She played right into her selfish little demands and now you both may be caught", Kagura taunts. "What do you want Kaze?" "Sign over your rights to my trust funds back over to my family. I'll keep your little secret and help you frame InuYasha for his fortunes", she concludes, pulling on a fresh pair of jeans from her nightstand. "That is a tall order for unsatisfying ass, Kaze. However, I oblige the request on one condition", Naraku finishes as he rebuttons his dress shirt.

"Name it." "Stay out of my affairs and hand over the so called evidence you collected", he dismisses. "Deal. I also won't tell anyone about your faulty performance…", Kagura smirks. "That's not fair. It's not as if you had much to compare it to… or do you Kaze?" "Nope—nothing but vibrating machines and hand dildos…", Kagura dismisses as she puts on her coat again.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

After counting to thirty in his head, Naraku pulls out his phone and dials a familiar contact. "Arrange for my departure. It is time."

* * *

Rin stands outside the crowded infirmary as she inhales another drag of her sanity. Pulling away the charred remains from her lips, she exhales a light puff of smoke as cool, crisp air of the mountains fill her lungs on the next breath. Putting out the last of her cigarette, she wipes away her stray tears as she begins to venture a bit further away from building. Soon equally light footsteps copied hers as she swiftly turn around only to have her anxious heart to be slowed. Sesshoumaru stands a mere few inches from her and Rin remains frozen at the sight of his perfection.

An angry resolve fills her mind as a song; Miley Cyrus' Drive flits out of her lips. Staring intently at him, she was more than surprised at the sight of disappointment from his eyes.

"_You told me you were—coming back , right back… Promised it was real and I—believed that… But if I fall for it, again… I will be, a fool… If our love is—at the end, Then why do I still want you? Yeah… But I guess—I got no valentine… Send me roses—I just let 'em die… I was crazy—thinking you were mine… It was all… just a lie…_", she begins before taking a quick breath to back away from the light amber eyes that haunt her. "_Drive my heart… into the night… You can drop the keys off, in the morning… Cause I don't want to leave… home… without… your love… Without… it…_" Raising a hand against her face, she tries to stop the onslaught of tears as the impeccable sight of the young man before her begins to approach her. "_I always knew, I never wanted this… I never thought, it could happen… You acted like, you wanted this… But then you, led me on… I thought—you would be there, when I go… You promised—you would be there, when I go… But all the broken promises, I won't miss… I'm finished… All I know, are the facts… that when I look you, in the eyes—all I see, are the lies… been there, done that… Drive my heart… into the night… You can drop the keys off, in the morning… in the morning… Cause I don't want to leave… home… without… your love… Without… it…_" With those last lines, her hands are removed from her face as Sesshoumaru pulls her body into his, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.

Rin, lacking the comfort she needed from the contact, starts to tiptoe and tries to meet his lips only to be denied at the feel of his body tightening and arching away while trying to hold awkwardly still hold onto her. "Ms. Seiga…. You are completely vulnerable now and this Sesshoumaru is not to take advantage of you", he begins. "Are you going to cast me aside to? Am I not good enough for anyone anymore?", she whimpers as she allows her tears to fall.

"No… Rin. Please believe me, it is not like that. But ever since you became this way—", Sesshoumaru begins again. Immediately, Rin wretches herself out of his arms as she takes to holding her sides in anguish. "You know what—FUCK YOU TOO! All everyone wants is some part of me that they identify to be the true me. And to be honest, I'm exhausted trying to find something that everyone likes about me. At the end of the day, all I hear is someone's disappointments. But I'll prove you all wrong… I'll get back my sanity and get clean on my own… without anyone's help. I'll prove I'm no weakling", Rin trudges off into the snowy hills.

"For your sake I hope you do, Rin", Sesshoumaru mutters to the air.

* * *

Further on that night, Sango, Miroku and InuYasha fall asleep, surrounding Kagome's bed as the doctor's assured that she will have a speedy recovery since her internal organs were in check, but she won't be able to participate in anymore activities on the Ski Trip. Kanna, Yura, Ayame and Kouga hung around the hospital corridors, not wishing to be blamed for anything with suspicion rising since trouble always befall the group of popular kids when away from prying eyes. Shiori, Shouta, Ah and Un not only decided to do damage control on the relationship and reputation of all of them but to fully begin excluding Rin out of their lives.

Speaking of which Rin, attempting to use the last days of the Ski Trip as a last hurrah journey, was busy inhaling two cartons of cigarettes, trying to get to the ceremonially high hidden by a couple of snow banks a couple of yards away from the back of the infirmary when the sounds of a nearby argument drags her out of her quiet lull. Rolling her eyes, she crouches behind a tree as voices fill the chilled mountain air in the night. "Please don't do this—I'm sorry about what happened with her but if you only stick through this last part I will owe you and help you get her back", the feminine tear filled angry voice spills into the air. After a bout of silence, the sound of a struggle comes closer as Rin bunkers lower behind the thick stump when the voices could be heard clearer. "Your contract with this Sesshoumaru is long over. If you do not wish to cease your actions, it will not be short from harassment, a charge that certainly has enough evidence to stand on its own and can be carried out now that you are of age", the second voice acidly replies in a tone she was all the more familiar with.

Trying to smother the rising gasp of air filling her lungs, she fights her resolve to poke her head out to catch the identity of the girl who has actually caused her so much dismay and chooses to zone in to the sound of the voices. A mournful insight completely breaks her buzz as she finally realizes that Kagome, now lying in her hospital bed, was far from guilty.

"Just hear me out… I'm confused. My entire life I always thought I was someone else stuck in this body. I finally have a definition for what I am and I'm shunned for it. On top of this, I had my future investments and assets frozen until I can prove otherwise. Now I had what I think amounts to amazing sex with you and some questionable antics from our arch nemesis. He offered me everything I ever wanted but now I don't know where I stand in my sexuality. Maybe if you can just indulge me just a bit further—it's not as if I don't think Hihi doesn't have something up his sleeve", the female voice cries.

Silence passes again as Sesshoumaru mutters, "…It is within our best interest to cut off all ties now. My sincerest regards go for you and your plight but that being said, all this Sesshoumaru can offer is refuge from the world in the form of legal attorney, free of charge. Take action against those who hold you down and strike hard. You forever have an ally in myself and my family as long as you need but no more can I aid you in your sexual conquests", in a slightly apologetic tone.

Just as the sound of his footsteps begins to walk away from the scene, Rin was about to peek out to look at the feminine voice in question when she overhears the light sobs pouring out into the air. The girl angrily begins singing Kelly Clarkson's You Can't Win, keeping Rin in her place in recognition at the surprising cadence in her voice. "_If you go, they'll say you're following… If you don't, then you're too good for them… If you smile, you must be ignorant… If you don't, what's your problem… If you're down, so ungrateful… And if you're happy, why so selfish… And, you can't win… No… you can't win, no…_", the voice begins.

With unsure resolve, Rin pokes her head around the stump only to catch sight of the familiar short, red tipped raven locks cascading across pale shoulders as the girl in question wears her usual white blouse with shoulder cutouts. "_The one who, doesn't quite fit in… Underdressed, under your skin… Oh… a walking disaster… Every time, you try to fly… You end up, falling out of line… oh… You can't, you can't win… no…_", the girl seethes before taking a deep breath to continue the song. "_If you're thin, poor little walking disease… If you're not, they're all screaming obese… If you're straight, why aren't you married yet… If you're gay, why aren't you waving a flag… If it's wrong, you're knowing it… If it's right, you'll always miss… You can't win… no… You can't win… no…_". The girl begins to remove the feathered accessories from her ears and tosses it aside into the newly fallen snow. "_The one who, doesn't quite fit in… Underdressed, under your skin… Oh… a walking disaster… Every time, you try to fly… You end up, falling out of line… oh… You can't, you can't win… no…_ _And you try, you try so hard… But it's wearing on, your heart… And you play, you play the game… But you pay, you pay for it… You can't win… no… You can't win… no…_"

Walking away from the trunk of the snow-covered tree, Rin watches the girl as her mind becomes racked with a multitude of questions with her body debating whether to confront the situation or continue wallowing in self-pity. "_If you speak, you'll only piss 'em off… If you don't, you're another robot… If you stop, they'll just say you quit… If you don't, you might lose your shit… You can't win… no… You can't win… no… You can't win… nooo… The one who, doesn't quite fit in… Underdressed, under your skin… Oh… a walking disaster… Every time, you try to fly… You end up, falling out of line… oh… You can't, you can't win… no…_ _And you try, you try so hard… But it's wearing on, your heart… And you play, you play the game… But you pay, you pay for it… You can't win… no… You can't win… no…_"

As she finishes the song, the girl wipes away stray tears and marches off around the corner and into the infirmary, unknowingly missing Rin's presence as Rin misses her chance to take action. After a heartbeat, with the blood rushing in her ears, Rin walks away from the tree trunk and begins trudging up the snow banks. Too upset to watch her surroundings, Rin fails to notice the looming presence behind her until a cool breath blows teasingly against her ears. Reaching a hand up to tuck away stray hair strands, her fingers encountered a smooth pair of lips¸ causing her to eep in shock before her world darkens.

* * *

Inside a bathroom stall, Kikyo huddles in the corner of the small cubicle, trying to contain the massive cramps wracking her body. Struggling to stand, she limps over to the sweater hanging from the hook in the stall to grab her cell phone and attempts to call the one person who she hopes will still run to her aide. After punching the speed dial button, she awaits the familiar tone.

* * *

Meanwhile back at infirmary, InuYasha stirs from his slumber by Kagome's bedside, at the sound of his phone vibrating against his palm. Without checking the ID, he taps the answer button on the phone and groggily greets the person on the other line. "What is it?", he mumbles. "InuYasha… help me… it hurts", the female voice cries on the other end. InuYasha's golden eyes snap open as he pulls his phone away from his ears and stare in disbelief at the caller ID on the screen. "Ki… Kikyo. What's wrong?" "Please help me… I think I'm bleeding again and the side that always hurt when I have my period is killing me now", she seethes. "You can't be serious… Kikyo, what did you do?" "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING LATELY! WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SAYING SOMETHING IS MY FAULT WHEN…", Kikyo begins to scream again as the phone line disconnects.

"Kikyo… Kikyo? KIKYO!", InuYasha hastily whispers into the phone to not wake the other inhabitants in the room. With his phone returning to his home screen, he turns his attention in time to see Kagome attempt to still her eyes shut and pretend to sleep. Sighing lightly, he stands from the seat by her bed and plants a light kiss against Kagome's forehead before whispering, "I'll be back as soon as possible", and turning around to leave her hospital room. Before he can turn the knob on her door, Kagome whispers, "InuYasha…is she okay?" "Don't worry about her, Kagome. You just make sure you're rested by the time I come back", he breathes before slipping out of her room and softly locking the door behind him. Unfortunately, he didn't look back and see the silent tears escaping her eyes.

* * *

Walking back into the lower levels of the hospital corridors, Naraku receives a phone call from Mr. H and smiles as InuYasha breezes past him and towards the nurse station. "You have the girl… Good, do what you want with her, no one would miss her. I slipped some of the drugs you gave me into Miko's possession and she should be experiencing the effects now…. If all goes as planned, we should have crippled the Takahashi heirs by the end of this week", Naraku confirms as he ends the call abruptly at the sight of the elder Takahashi suddenly appearing in front of him.

"Mr. Hihi… have you seen or heard from Ms. Seiga or Ms. Miko?", Sesshoumaru questions mechanically. "I haven't seen them since this afternoon. Perhaps they snuck out back to their cabins. With both girls being in great disregard to rules and regulations, I'm sure they wouldn't waste an opportunity to slip away unattended", Naraku chuckles. "Find amusement on your own time, Mr. Hihi, for this is a serious matter." Just as Sesshoumaru was about to exit the hospital corridors, Naraku's parting words flittered into the air. "I assure you, Mr. Takahashi. I don't find any of this…amusing"

* * *

Somewhere off in the night, Rin opens her eyes to complete darkness with knowledge that her hands and feet were bound and that she was gagged. As tears stream down her cheeks, an eerie pair of silver eyes glares at her as he silently jerks off.


	17. A Game of Fools

**A Game of Fools**

Morning rose for the students of Feudal High as chaos erupted for the Ski Trip attendees. Sesshoumaru, along with the other staffed chaperones initiated an emergency drill as they rounds up remaining students before instituting an Amber Alert. Panic set in as Kagome, with her anesthesia wearing off from her minor surgery, tries to leave her hospital room to help in the search for her missing friend. The only restraints against her movements besides the ache in her bandage torso were a couple of overprotective friends and a zealous admirer to remind her of her frailty.

"Kagome… please calm down… they have everyone out there searching for Rin right now… you'll only hurt yourself more if you don't get back in that bed", Miroku pleads, surprised at her strength as he awkwardly pushes against her shoulders while Kouga held her arms. "I don't care. Rin—she's just a girl and she doesn't have anyone else out there. No one to care if she went missing—hell, the only reason anyone knew she was gone was because she missed out on the last role call and wasn't in any of our cabins", Kagome cries before her tired body crumples to the ground in resistance.

Sango lets out a breath as she walks away from barring the door, switching places with Miroku as she wraps her arms around her compassionate friend. "She has us… even if she doesn't want us to be around lately, she knows we'll always be here", Sango comforts before helping Kagome back over to her hospital bed. "Get some rest, Kagome. You'll see by the time you're up the situation would get much better. They have the best people out there searching so you can relax. Think of it this way—dog turd is only a couple of rooms down, if you be good, Tajiya would get him before you wake up…", Kouga lulls.

"Kouga—", Kagome begins to rise again only to have Kouga place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. If it proves too much, I'll still be here when you wake up as well", he smiles. "Thanks…", she whispers, giving Miroku an underhanded look of worry. Humming a mellow tune, Kagome begins to let her heart ache as she wonders where InuYasha was in all this. "_He promised he'll be back… didn't he…_", she mentally chastises as she whispers part of Kelly Clarkson's Beautiful Disaster. "_He's magic and myth… As strong as what, I believe… A tragedy with… More damage—than a soul, should see… And do I try, to change him… So hard not, to blame him… Hold on, tight… Hold on… tight… Oh—cause I don't know… I don't know, what he's after… But he's so, beautiful… Such a beautiful, disaster… And if I could, hold on… Through the tears, and the laughter… Would it be, beautiful… Or just a beautiful, disaster…_", she whispers as tears dry against her face.

With her cries soothing into barely audible whimpers, Kagome temporarily submits to Sango's promises while her friend lulls her to sleep again.

* * *

Further, away inside of an underground chamber, Rin stands against a rock covered wall, blindfolded with her hands crossed and chained above her head and her feet weighed down with metal balls chained to each ankle. Her body ached from hours of standing still and temporarily being knocked unconscious in her resistance while being transported. She weakly struggles against her restraints, the sounds of the metal chains jangling in the air as the haunting voice that once echoed her distant nightmare exhales warm breath against her skin.

"You're quite a beautiful specimen… if I do say so myself. So tiny, so… frail—yet you were so hard to capture. Even more so with the nice change of hair color…and recent additions. You're beauty reminds me of a fairy. Remind me to thank Hihi for this. None of this could have happen without his help… but I suppose the entire exchange lies on your little keeper. He just couldn't protect you… nor does he care enough. But one man's trash is another man's treasure", the voice taunts as he places a gentle kiss on the thick mass of sweat curled, honey blonde bangs that fell against her forehead. Rin, disgusted with his familiar act, viciously spits at the assailant, only to find herself at the receiving end of a powerful backhanded slap to her face. Holding the blood filling her mouth, she exhales in pain as a thin line dribbles past her lips. Rough hands grip her chin in a careful manner as her head is turned slightly towards the light source above.

"Now look at what you made me do… You already have this nasty bruise on your face—if you had just behaved… Oh well. Please stop that infuriating quivering. It doesn't become you. Besides, the fun is about to start. Rumor has it that I sparked your sense of sexuality. I'm a strong believer of pictures speaking a thousand words… especially the moving kind…" Slowly, the blindfold is lowered and Rin blinks her dry contacts to moisten them again as she gasps at the projected image against the opposite rock wall of her drunken state at InuYasha's Christmas Extravaganza. She was still dressed in her black and silver ensemble but her ripped fishnet tights were beyond shredded as she dances provocatively to Natalia Kills, "Rabbit Hole". Ah and Un were her dance pawns as Shouta joined the charade, being ushered onto the table by the crowd.

"_Counting pounds and counting dollars, Mama married to a mobster, My old man is in the lock up… And he's counting down the da-ay-ay-ay… Drinking all the liquor, Lighting up behind the bleachers, Getting dirty in detention… We're gonna do it anyway-ay-ay-ay!_", Rin sings with the crowd as she pulls Shouta into a close position while shoving Ah and Un away. "_We're the kids your momma warned you about, we're the kids your momma warned you about… Drive fast, roll tight, ride hard all night… We're the kids your momma warned you about, we're the kids your momma warned you about… Drive fast, roll tight, ride hard all night…_", she continues singing, nipping the edge of Shouta's ear before pushing him away.

Without a pause, she seductively climbs off the table and onto the shoulders of one of the tall bodies in the crowd, piggybacking him as she laughs to the rest of the song. The projected screen goes dark as a tall person wearing a dark hooded cloak appears before her. Long silver strands fall out of his clock as his face remains unseen.

"Perhaps, showing my entire face would inspire you again. I refuse to believe your mentality would do something so vengefully beautiful as to block out my face but remember my voice . However, I assure you, as long as you survive these next few nights, you won't be able to forget me even if you tried", the voice beams as pale hands reach out to trace delicate lines around Rin's body, pausing to grip her thin waist at times.

Still too far to get a look at her capture's face, Rin takes the moment to spit out the remaining blood lingering in her mouth. The voice starts chuckling again as he reaches into his cloak to pull out a short steel blade, pressing the sharp edge against the pulsing vein running in her neckline. "Doesn't taste nice does it… don't worry, if you behave I give you something special to put you to sleep after this little ordeal", the voice assures as he raises the blade to cut the tie remnants lingering around her neck.

Finally, the cloaked figure was close enough for Rin to stare at but his oversized hood only showed the ghostly stray tendrils of his hair. Rin resolves to start looking at her surroundings in a frantic rush, alarm overriding her body. She stops at the sight of overhead mirror images of herself in her punked-out school uniform shone back at her, the reflective glass peering down her exposed chest. Looking away from the ceiling, she turns to the sound of the cloaked assailant standing to her left. Facing her assailant's back was a camcorder, set to record. "Question?", Rin shakingly voices into the stilled air. "One." "How do you know my name?", she quivers.

"I've been watching you this entire time…", the voice whispers as he walks away from her restrained body to stand behind the camcorder. Rin glowers at the cloaked assailant. Her vision begins to darken with the only light in the room being a single light bulb placed above the chains holding her hands. Removing the cloak, the figure presses the record button on the camcorder as he smiles eerily at her. "Sing for the camera, Seiga." Rin begins to shriek as the identity of her rapist reveals himself while posing behind the camera, nude with his cloak exposing his body while hanging off his shoulders.

Large, dull, silver eyes set adequately on a petite, sculpted face against his smooth, pale skin as long, silver mane cascades around his shoulders. At her reaction towards him, the man pulls the cloak back over his face and proceeds to hit her into silence again. The chain holding Rin's hands knock against the light bulb floating above her head, slightly burning her flailing fingers in her antics. The figure presses a blade against her throat, causing Rin to still her movements.

"I'm not that unsightly am I, Seiga? Since you hurt my feelings, I promise you, this place would be the last place you would live in…", he seethes before grabbing hold of her face and crashing his lips down on hers. Rin makes no movement as the man in front of her fought his way into her mouth. Finally, pulling away after passing seconds, as he was only greeted with teeth and harden lips, he goes behind the camcorder and directs, "Perhaps you should sing while I ready myself for you."

Tears escape Rin's eyes as she looks away from the blinking screen and down to the floor. With her thoughts betraying her as the last person she wanted to think of begins to drift in her thoughts; she finally begins harmonizing to Miley Cyrus's Someone Else. "_If you're looking for love, know that love don't live here—anymore… He left with my heart… They both walked through that door… without me… If you're trying to find pity well, you need to look—somewhere else… 'Cause I surely can't… help you… I'm hurting myself… I've turned into someone else…_", she begins as her cloaked attacker walks over to her and begin viciously cutting away her clothes into shredded ribbons.

Rin holds her breath for a moment before continuing, restraining herself from screaming as thin lines of blood ran down her skin from where he got a little too excited at seeing her bare flesh. "_I used to believe—love conquered all… 'Cause that's what I've seen—in movies… Come to find out—it's not like that at all… You see real life's—much different…_", she finishes as tears race down at the feel of his hands squeezing her weighted bosom. Closing her eyes, she imagines herself away from her the imprisonment of her body and back into her old memories with him.

"_I don't wanna see you go, I only wanna see you smile… It hurts so much just thinking of, felt like this for a while… I can't stand to see us fail, We cried, we lied, cannot pretend to take us back, to what we had, to make us feel alive again… Hold… me… close… don't let me go… I hope… Tell me… now… is… not… the end…_", Rin whispers as she clenches her eyes to hold in her pain as he runs the sharp edge of the blade against her waist, leaving very thin lines of blood swelling up from the figure backs away from her body and smiles at his mild work before muttering, "I'm going to enjoy ripping off your wings my little fairy." Removing his cloak and placing it over the camera lens, Rin's screams fill the air as the nude body walks toward her and laughs manically.

* * *

Back at the resort's infirmary, Rin and Naraku's disappearance was pushing on everyone's nerves, including an anxious silver haired teen waiting outside the hospital room of his ex-girlfriend. Hours before the Amber Alert, InuYasha was faced with the news of Kikyo's miscarriage. The news hung in the air as he continues to stay by the side of his ex-girlfriend, unsure of what to do as guilt continues to rear his mentality. Dark eyes open as pale fingers reach out from her sides, to his waiting hands. "Inu… Yasha. What happened to me? What happened to us?", Kikyo barely whispers. "Kikyo… you lost the—your body—you had a miscarriage", he cautiously tries to break the news to the fragile looking girl in front of him. "I… I'm sorry, InuYasha. I lost our baby", she cries as she reaches over and pulls InuYasha into an embrace.

"Kikyo… You'll… We'll get through this", he tries to comfort while rubbing small circles into her back. Ignoring the sound of approaching footsteps, Kikyo tilts her chin up in order to plant a chaste kiss on InuYasha lips. Confused at her actions, InuYasha quickly pulls away in time to barely hear a shocking gasp coming from Kikyo's hospital door. Pushing her away, InuYasha bolts out of her room and comes face to face with Sango's fuming anger. "YOU'RE FUCKING DESPICABLE. WHY DO YOU KEEP GOING BACK TO HER? RIGHT NOW, WHEN KAGOME NEEDS YOU THE MOST, YOU'RE PLAYING CAPTAIN SAVE-A-HOE… IT'S NOT LIKE SHE DOESN'T KNOW YOU'RE HERE WITH HER. FUCKING HELL, SHE EVEN KNOWS WHATS GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO AND STILL SHE HAS THIS SICK ATTRACTION TO YOU. IT HURTS TO WATCH HER GO THROUGH THIS FOR A GUY THAT DOESN'T DESERVES IT", Sango screams. "I have responsibilities and besides—Sango… this isn't what you think it is", InuYasha tries to reason.

"FUCK YOU! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M THINKING AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! KIKYO IS PLAYING WITH YOU! AND UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT A BITCH SHE CAN REALLY BE, SHE WILL CONTINUE TO USE YOU BUT I GUESS IT'S OKAY AS LONG AS KAGOME IS ALWAYS THERE TO PICK UP THE PIECES!", Sango fumes before storming off down the hospital corridors and back to her friend's room before she can awake again. The deafening silence left InuYasha with Sango's parting words as he finds himself mechanically turning around and back to his ex-girlfriend's room. However, just before entering the room, he cracks open the door and overhears the cell phone conversation Kikyo immersed herself in.

"Yes. Hihi gave me the drugs as planned. No one suspects that he did it and I'm busy feigning ignorance to the situation. You have the girl… don't kill her. WHAT! Why would you do that? Now she's going to be mentally fucked up for life. Inject her with a few milligrams of sodium thiopental when she wakes up. Just keep her drugged until Hihi gets there. There are only a few more days of this trip and all is going as planned. The younger Takahashi would be back in my arms again and after I prove how the paternity test caused my miscarriage, I gather the funds…. No, he has no idea. Beware of the older Takahashi as well. He isn't as easy to fool and the girl is our last ace. Nevertheless, maybe he's gay if he threw away our lovely Kagura like that… What? You didn't know? Maybe Naraku is keeping more from you then you think", Kikyo chuckles as she resituates herself into her bed.

InuYasha backs away from her door as his fist begins to close, in anger. Just as he was about to take aim at a nearby wall, a plastic bag closes in over his head, interrupting his movements as he is violently taken to an empty stairwell. He takes a deep breath in, preparing to scream as he struggles to rip into the thick plastic. His efforts were interrupted as he soon finds his hands tied away just before his world blackens out.

* * *

A few hours continue to turn the clock as the attendees, trapped on the Ski Resort with all activities canceled, remain in fear of being next on the kidnapped lists of persons as it hit the public airwaves that one of the Takahashi heirs and the heir to Hihi Steel Incorporate went missing along with Rin. With roads cleared, police security was enforced on the Ski Resort as Sesshoumaru corralled remaining charges into one area as they were profiled to be the most likely targets.

Kagome and Kikyo was moved into a massive hospital room, one to treat many quarantined patients as Sesshoumaru decided it was wise to keep all of his charges closer together, regardless of capability to move on their own. Every student's parent/guardian was called to alert of the situation. Unfortunately, for Sesshoumaru charges, while all the other students were sent back home on high security watch, they had no option but to remain at the resort until the investigation can be completed.

As the hours ticked on, Sesshoumaru gathered group of charges begins answering questions about the relationship each person had with the missing persons by Sesshoumaru himself as he pressures the students before they can lawyer up. Sango, Kagome, and Miroku gave each other a suspicious look when Sesshoumaru started questioning one of Rin's cronies as he shuffles awkwardly under the hat he clutched to his head. "Sh… Shippou?", Kagome mutters as the teen removes the blonde spiky wig, revealing his ruby-red hair contrasting his emerald eyes.

"You can't tell Souta… or Kohaku. I would never hear the end of it if they found out I've been going to your school the entire time and hiding your secrets from them", Shippou begins to plead as he looks at Kagome and Sango with apologetic eyes. "FIRST OF ALL, I SHOULD KICK YOUR ASS! YOU WERE AROUND RIN ALL THOSE TIMES AND STILL ALLOW HER TO DO THOSE THINGS!", Sango barks. Miroku luckily grabs hold of his girlfriend before she can launch an attack on the freshman. "So the mystery is finally solved… the aunt and uncle you visited and often stayed with…are the Takahashis. I figured—you have an uncanny resemblance to their parents", Kagome ridicules as she watches the young teen cower in fear.

"Yeah, my Aunt Izzy and Uncle Taisho… are the parents of my cousins… Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. However, I never meant to lie to you guys for all this time—you have to believe me. I just thought if you knew that your brothers were best friend with someone like me… I intended to tell you guys last year when I graduated from middle school but Uncle Taisho immediately put me in summer camp with your brothers and then my parents called me back away. I was more than happy when I found out that… I can go to Feudal High and be with you guys again, even as a freshman. Nevertheless, when I found out about the new girl… Rin, I kept an eye out for her because—look, I just did… The only way I can guarantee she wouldn't run from me as well, I had to wear this stupid disguise and blend in with these guys", Shippou explains as he points out Ah, Un and now Shiori as part of the group. As silence fills the room, Kagome summons Shippou to come closer to her bedside as Sango corners the boy against the wall.

Awaiting a reaction from the couple of young ladies, he knew for so long, Shippou closes his eyes as his hands begin to tremble. Sango then sucker punches Shippou's shoulder as Kagome pinches his cheeks before the girls shout, "You're forgiven!" Shippou lets out a sigh of relief as he continues to answer unsaid questions.

"You have no idea how much relief I feel now that you know it's me. At first it was annoyingly hard with her being part of your group. When she stop hanging around you guys and sticking with Ah and Un, she made it easier for me to keep her out of trouble. Despite what everyone in the school thinks, Ah and Un are far from horrible. Everyone assumes that they're stoners and dealers, they never were like that. Mainly thrill seekers at most. But once Rin came around them, I guess they felt the need to distract her so she became the leader in their pranks. That was until… I guess it's my fault she disappeared", Shippou begins to pout. Before Shippou can speak anymore on the matter, InuTaisho and Izayoi barge into the awaiting hospital room, ignoring their son's annoyance at their fluster.

"Tell me it isn't true, Sesshoumaru?", Izayoi cries upon entering the scene in front of her, causing the students to falter their actions at her intrusion. "Uncle Taisho? Aunt Izzy? What are you guys doing here?", Shippou questions as his aunt walks over to comfort him with her gentle hug. "Damage control, my dear boy. I'm sorry son, but we'll take over now. Too much has happen and now everyone here is in great danger. As a precaution, all of your immediate families are being called in and should be here within the next couple of hours. And there's reason to believe that certain people are the next target. Where's Houshi?", InuTaisho announces to the room as the students huddled closer.

"Father, the situation is under control—", Sesshoumaru begins before being cut off by the eldest Takahashi. "Under control? While you were busy interrogating and failing to comfort your students, there has been a broadcast out to the entire world, calling for our attention since it bares our name", InuTaisho seethes just as Miroku bursts into the room and alerts everyone to turn on the nearby televisions sets.

Immediately groggy wails can be heard from the screens as the recorded tape on each news station simultaneously begins to play. "IF YOU WANT TO LIVE I DEMAND YOU FUCK HER… COME ON… FUCK HER LIKE YOU FUCK ALL THE OTHER WHORES WHO YOU MADE AND STOLEN FROM OTHERS", a familiar voice shouts on screen. Kagura gasps as the room acknowledges the voice of one of the missing charges.

"Let her go you fucking piece of shit… she doesn't deserve this. This is between me and you", the second voice on the dark screen fills the air as a slight tick shows in the ice king's stoic face. "Oh but she does…. She brought this down on herself… if only she knew how to behave. However, if you ask why she's here, you're right, I don't have any use for her. But you can help me get what I want and she would make sure that will happen, won't you Ms. Seiga?"

The screen lights up to reveal a bloodied and battered Rin, her uniform in tatters, her hands still chained above her head but her feet now lying limp along the floor; her hair now matted with dried blood on her scalp. Opposite her, held back with two masked men on each arm as his hands were bound behind his back and his silver locks lie strewn and messily covering his face, InuYasha stands with bruises against the skin revealed through his dark, torn clothes.

Circling him was an immaculately dressed Naraku in a dark business suit. Rin tries to speak but ends up spitting up more blood as her skin glows paler. "You sick fuck…", InuYasha breathes through clenched teeth as he tries very hard to look away from Rin's nearly nude body. "Please believe, you have yet to see how sick and disgustingly fucked up I can be", Naraku smirks as his fingertips trail the edges of the dark bruise forming against Rin's bare thighs. Rin whimpers as she shudders with the words, "InuYasha? Look…tell her—I'm sorry… tell her I know it all now". "RIN… LISTEN TO ME! STAY AWAKE… WE'LL GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE… YOU HAVE TO LIVE… PROMISE ME YOU WOULD", InuYasha shouts at the limp body before him.

"Oh… how paltry. The words of a true hero. Don't try to fool the world. In the end of some twist of fate, you're the very reason she's here now. Let's explain so the entire world can understand, yes? I want the evidence from a certain someone. Every hour that passes without the collection of said articles of evidence, not only Ms. Seiga but also now yourself would be subject to cruel and unusual punishment. Moreover, before you shut me out about not making deals with criminals—keep in mind—I still get what I want because of the new contract between our joining companies. Even with the end of the arrangement, Hihi Steel Manufacturing would still be tethered to the stocks of your family's company. If I go down so will you. So it's their move", Naraku explains as a darkly cloaked figure appears behind Rin, stroking her shoulder with fingers clad in black leather gloves.

"On top of this, we have room for one more prisoner. Seiga is diminishing too quickly so we need insurance. Therefore, they had better hustle. The clock is ticking. Stay tuned to see the next broadcast. My beautiful fairy, leave us with a little number", the cloaked figure announces to the dark room. InuYasha watches in horror as Rin struggles, knees repetitively giving out on her as she tries to stand against the chains, revealing more bloodied and bruised skin under tattered remains of her uniform. "_You trembled like you'd seen… a ghost—and I gave in… I lacked the things you need… the most, you said—where have you been…_ _You wasted all that sweetness… to run and hide, I wonder why… I remind you of the days… you poured your heart—into… But you never… tried_", Rin begins before her next breath brought an echo in the room with the ending of her tune. "_I've fallen—from grace, took a blow—to my face… I've loved—and I've lost, I've loved—and I've lost… Explosions… on the day—you, wake up… Needing somebody… and you've learned… Its okay—to be afraid… But it will never… be the same… It will never… be the same…_", she finishes before exhaling harshly and nearly screaming as the dark, hooded figure walks in front of her and plants a kiss around the tattooed on her shoulder blade.

The screen turns dark as news reporters from every channel source continue broadcasting the news of the nation's horror at the kidnapping. No one makes a sound as the ice king fought to hold in his temper. For the first time in his entire lifetime, the inhabitants of the small hospital room witnessed Sesshoumaru publicly melt down as his eyes not only changed to steel gold, but a light flush run across his entire skin as his anger overwhelms his being.

"Sesshoumaru… honey, say something…", Izayoi asks quietly as his face begins to darken in color. As silence crept on with the tension in the room, InuTaisho touches his son's shoulder, trying to break him out of his reverie. "Son… we're already working on the first step and selling our stocks of Hihi Corporation since this announcement and instead have invested into a competing manufacturer—", InuTaisho begins as Sesshoumaru shrugs his hand away.

"No—Hihi wants us to play his game and he will learn that this Sesshoumaru does not have time for juvenile games", he seethes as he storms out of the room. InuTaisho attempts to summon his son back to his presence as Izayoi joins in, screaming at the door, "Sesshoumaru, it's too dangerous out there to leave now!" Kagome swings her legs off the bed, surprising everyone as she races out after the Ice King, bypassing InuTaisho. Ignoring the massive amount of guards trailing behind her with anxious hospital staff warning the young teen about her recovering injuries, Kagome misses the sight of a shady figure standing against the door of a hidden stairwell.

Out of breath from trying to follow the exasperated young adult, Kagome merely eeps as her world darkens and the last sights she noticed was the running feet of another admiring teen at the opposing end of the hallway as she collapses to her feet.

* * *

Hours later, back in the dark depths of the underground chamber, Naraku groans in frustration as his team of henchmen brings in his newest surprise. "Could you imbeciles fuck this up anymore? Yes, I know she looks like the girl in the photo I gave you but you should've noticed something was wrong with the way she is treated", Naraku seethes. "Maybe there were some communication issues. Instead of blaming the people who actually did the work, why don't you take some responsibilities or better yet—do the job yourself? Oh, yes I forget… you're too above these means of work", Hakudoshi scoffs in the defense of the silent henchmen. Silence fills the eerie room as no one makes a sound to interrupt the unsaid challenge left in the air. Smiling eerily, Naraku swiftly strikes a hand across the face of the silver-haired young man, landing a forceful grip on the stray tendrils of hair escaping the hooded cloak.

"Just because I swiftly rose to power doesn't mean I have forgotten the means to silence the tongues of rebels. I can end your life and those of your supporters before you can even utter the word 'help'. So if I were you and you were smart, I would first secure my wits before raising my voice", Naraku whispers harshly against Hakudoshi face before pushing the man aside.

Hakudoshi stands stark still as he allows his mask to hide his shock, vaguely willing away the slight sting on his face. "I apologize for speaking out of turn. I merely mean to suggest new methods now that the situation presented made it far too risky to make another public appearance. You have mentioned yourself that she merely looks like the wretched heiress, so why not take advantage of the lack of will?" Naraku ponders the situation aloud before laughing maniacally to the available audience, too afraid to move with a mad man so near.

"What a wonderful idea. We don't need the ransom from kidnapping Kikyo. We can torture that poor, nobody look-alike. And no one would be the wiser. Yes, they know she's missing by now but no one would feverishly search for someone who has no means to society. Nice suggestion—Kanna can go free without Kagura's contribution", he announces before walking out of the tunnel and towards his collection of captive prisoners.

* * *

Hours ticked on by and time seemed to have ceased for the remaining students left on the Ski Resort. With the recent broadcast replaying the airwaves, puzzle pieces were put together as police has Kagura, Kanna, and Kikyo watched and locked inside of the hospital room with Kikyo chained to her bed as the leading suspects in the recent kidnappings. Sesshoumaru goes incognito as police officials search for him across the snow hills to assist in the possibility of hostage negotiations.

InuTaisho buries himself in paperwork as he works to evade the repercussions of breaking contracts with both Miko and Hihi Enterprises. Izayoi goes to work with her PR team to make this entire situation appear less threatening to the parents of the students and the rest of the world. This leaves Kouga, Ayame, Hojo, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Yura, Shiori, Ah and Un trapped in the same hospital room with the suspects as they attempt to hold their contempt at their recently displayed involvement in the kidnapped loved ones.

"Where's Kagome?", Kouga asks the decisively mute Kikyo. "You're not going to get answers that way—she hasn't said anything for the past couple of hours… so why don't you just stop wasting your time and let the police handle them", Ayame pleads as she tries to restrain the rage behind Kouga's threatening stance. "Besides… we were all in here when she went missing. How do you know Hihi didn't just mention their names to draw suspicion on them while completing his own nefarious agenda?", Hojo explains in the girl's defense. "FUCK YOU AKITOKI—YOU WEREN'T THERE! YOU WEREN'T THREATED BY THESE LUNATICS! WHAT THE HELL MAKES THEM SPECIAL?!", Kouga shouts at the meek boy as he nearly attacks the sight of Kagura and Kanna huddled on the opposite side of Kikyo.

The tension rises within the room again as Kouga walks away and places as much space as possible between him and the treacherous girls at hand. "Just to think… I was ready to do anything to join you guys and your ring of popularity… I guess… I'm lucky it wasn't me…", Shippou mutters as stray tears race down his cheeks. Miroku moves himself away from Sango's pouting stance as he goes to soothe the youngest teenage boy out of the group.

Sango paces the floor in front of Kagura and Kanna as she couldn't fathom even looking at the pitiful sight of Kikyo as the girl remains in shock and in her hospital bed. "We know the how… I just want to know why? What have Rin… or Kagome ever done to any of you? They're completely innocent girls that have spent their lives fearing your fucking shadow until I came along and gave them some sort of peace of mind. Then you couldn't even leave them with that… you had to blame them for getting involved in your filthy and troubling world. So why isn't it enough for you to berate and force us to change who we are? Why must you ruin their lives beyond repair?", Sango seethes in a ranting fury in an effort to hold back her own tears.

"To be honest… I've always been jealous of your lot. You're right, you never needed to get involve in our dirty world of the affluent but things happen and now actions can't be taken back. I don't know about Kikyo but I can speak for myself and Kagura in saying we never truly wanted to hurt Rin and we even wanted to be friends with Kagome when we first came to Feudal High. But the popularity feels so good especially when there's a dark secret hidden in your family closet. To make sure this secret never gets out, we did anything to make sure our popularity outshines any rumor. Kikyo made it so much easier. We never knew things would get to this level though…", Kanna begins as silent tears run down her cheeks.

Kagura looks at her cousin and a melancholic smile creeps across her face as she begins a mournful tune to Mariah Carey's "Looking In". "_You look at me and see the girl… Who lives inside the golden world… But don't believe… That's all there is to see… You'll never know the real me…. She smiles through a thousand tears… And harbors adolescent fears… She dreams of all… That she can never be… She wades in insecurity… And hides herself inside of me…_", Kagura begins as Kanna joins into the tune. "_Don't say… she takes it all for granted… I'm well… aware of all I have... Don't think… that I am disenchanted… Please under… stand…._" Finally, Kanna sums up the end of the tune, "_It seems as though I've always been… Somebody outside looking in… Well here I am… for all of them to bleed… But they can't take my heart from me… And they can't bring me to my knees…_" and with her cousin sings, "_They'll never know the real me…._"

"I think I have a plan to get them back", Kikyo whispers as the room stills again. "Then what are you waiting for?", Ah exclaims at the voice finally speaking. "I was the one who was supposed to be kidnapped…. Once Naraku realizes the error of his goons, he'll either go into hiding or kill them all…", she callously concludes. Gasps resonate throughout the hospital room at the cadence of Kikyo's words as Kanna and Kagura merely look at each other. "Kikyo… don't…", Kanna begins. "Don't what?", Un questions aloud. "There's only one way to not only save their lives but also to gain the information on their location…", Kagura whispers. "Well, what are you girls waiting for? Why don't you let the police know…", Miroku begins as Kikyo cuts him off… "They won't risk it… look I know I don't deserve this from anyone in the room but I need you guys to trust me on this… trust us."

"YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR EVER LOVING MINDS! I've been another side-kick to you guys forever and I won't even consider doing that now…", Yura sneers. "Well then say goodbye to any chance of seeing Seiga, Higurashi, or Takahashi alive at the end of all of this. And who's to stop Naraku from capturing the rest of us… especially with my mentally unstable brother helping him, he's untouchable…", Kanna explains. "Your brother? Wait… Kanna… Hakudoshi… he has been out all this time?", Kagura gasps. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU GUYS KNOW HAKUDOSHI?!", Shiori screeches at the familiar name. "Maybe we should start at the beginning...", Kanna announces as she looks at Kagura for approval. "Hold that note, my cabin mate just messaged me to turn the television screen to the next broadcast", Un announces as he turns back on the television set with updates splashed across the screen.

"Recent revelations about the hostages of the Hihi-Takahashi scandal surfaces this evening as another message tape was posted outside multiple police stations as investigators attempt to track down the source of the taunting broadcasts", the news anchorwoman begins as the television screen cuts to a clip from said tape.

Kagome, still dressed in her hospital gown, stands inside of a human sized golden birdcage above the center of a stage as the camera pans and zooms in at her surrounding viewers. One being an unconscious Rin lying at one edge of the stage, naked saved for a pair of blood stained panties and shredded remains of her school shirt, huddled in on herself; another being a gagged InuYasha, feet chained with his hands tied behind him as he struggles onto his bloodied knees. Another viewer being Naraku sitting on what appears to be a makeshift throne as circus music fills the background and the last being a collection of bodies sitting in an audience setting with full-faced masks covering their heads and dark cloaks surrounding their bodies, all watching the golden light shining on the newest of hostages.

"RIN!", Kagome shouts as she bangs against the golden bars of her cage. Rin looks up at the girl in the cage as Kagome eeps at the rapid change in Rin's looks. "…How did you get up there? You were supposed to be—", Rin slurs as she struggles to open her eyes. The camera zooms in to Rin's huddled frame, her eyes bled out of their original brown hues now looked gray, her lips cracked with drying blood as more dark bruises form on her cheek, matching the multiple contusions on her legs and peeking through the tattered remains of her shirt. Her hair sprouting a massive white streak across her bangs as the remaining honey blonde colored curls lie in knots against her head. The final touches were red scratched wrists with indentations from her chains marring her paling skin. "Rin…what happened to you?", Kagome cries as she falls to her knees within the cage.

Upon hearing the sobs coming from her best friend, Rin tries to crawl closer to comfort her only to be held back by the shackles remaining on her feet. Suddenly she snaps out of her haze as shrieks start to flit through her lips. With her body starting to spasm against the cold floor, Naraku signals two of his henchmen to attempt to hold her down as one of the audience members stands and pulls away his cloak to reveal a silver mane. Rin's shrieks turn into screams as she fights against the men's grips on her body. The silver haired man removes a syringe from the depths of his cloak as he raises it to administer it to Rin's hip. "I'm sorry…. Please… forgive me…please…", Rin screams die down as the effects from the serum within the syringe lull her into unconsciousness again. The men release their grip on Rin's body as they prepared to move her into another room only to have Kagome call out for them to stop.

"Wait… I'll make a deal. Leave her with me and I'll do anything you promise… just please… just leave her with me", she begs as the camera view turns back to Naraku's impassive face. An eerie smile creeps along his lips as he raises a hand to stop the movement of the men from leaving the stage. "Well, it didn't take you that long to make that offer. And best yet I'll do you one better, if you can keep Ms. Seiga alive for the next 24 hours after the media stations play this video, then I'll let the both of you go free. Not without precautions of course", he snides as Kagome begins to ponder her options.

"DON'T AGREE TO ANYTHING THAT SCUM BAG SAYS… HE JUST WANTS TO HAVE CONTROL…", InuYasha begins to shout out after spitting out the chewed up plastic gag. But one of masked henchmen interrupts his tirade as he pulls out a gun and smacks it against InuYasha's temple.

"Oh, please cease with the dramatics, Takahashi. By now, the entire world knows this is all about you so no need to confuse these poor ladies any more. Allow them to simply figure out a way out of my web and we can go back to our business", Naraku continues to chide as he feigns disinterest in Kagome's answer. Silence reclaims the room again as the lights lowers to a dim spotlight on Kagome. "InuYasha… I'm sorry…", she begins.

"No…", InuYasha wheezes as he tries to blink away the trickling blood running from his forehead. "Naraku... I'll agree only if you allow InuYasha to make one phone call using my phone…", she breathes out. "Done. But it can't be to any of his family members and it has to be a number already programmed on your device", he negotiates as Kagome turns around and reaches into her hospital gown and into the bra she wore to pull out a pink iPhone with rhinestones.

Handing the phone over to one of the henchmen, Kagome watched as the henchmen turn on the phone and stabs one of the speed-dial buttons. He shouts out that the id on the phone dictated that it was Kouga Ookami. Placing the phone on speaker, a dial tone can be heard as an answering machine sounded through the room, causing InuYasha to look down in defeat just before Kagome shrieked at the sound of the iPhone being dropped and shot to smithereens.

"The deal has been struck and the timer has now started. Hakudoshi—have the men take Seiga to her cell then escort the other girl to the same one and have Takahashi taken to the cell across from them. Mildly guarded of course. The remaining men would set up for the grand exhibition", Naraku laughs as Kagome gets a second look at the man Naraku directs with the silver mane. Backing away to the opposite side of the cage, she recognizes his voice as he merely mutters, "Yes, master."

"It was you…", she murmurs as the man merely scoffs before removing the mask on his head. "Nice to meet you again too. And while I like them feisty, lucky for you, you're not my type. Otherwise, you would've met the same fate as your friend here", he jokes referring to Rin's slightly stirring body being lifted off the floor again. In a rage, Kagome rushes against the front bars only to have the entire cage sway and cause her to lose the mild balance she held.

Dusting off her knees, she slowly regains her posture to ignore the screaming ache in her sides. "Careful now… at least she was drugged for the majority of it, so she doesn't remember half of the things that happened. But keep behaving that way and you really would see the same fate and without the benefits of a narcotic", he taunts before turning away and signaling the camera to turn off.

The broadcast station had a moment of silence as bold, red digital numbers flash across the screen counting down the remaining hours for the hostages. Miroku clicks off the screen as the hospital room calms in tension at the thought of the friends they once knew having a mere 18 hours and 59 seconds remaining. "Their last hope… and I fucked it up…", Kouga sighs as he leans his head against the hospital windows. Before anyone can comment on the young teen's actions, Sesshoumaru walks into the room, slamming the door behind him as he ignores the officers and paparazzi's rants for attention. "Ms. Tajiya, where is Ms. Higurashi's phone?", he questions upon arrival. "Weren't you just watching the same broadcast we were watching? Naraku had his goons destroy it…", Yura murmurs.

"Then what is this item and to whom does it belong to?", Sesshoumaru quips as he tosses a white Nokia Lumia to land in front of Sango's feet. Opening the phone, Sango laughs at the object before jumping up and running around the room in a mildly inhumane manner. "THANK GOD SHE HAS A HEART AND A BRAIN!", she shouts in joy. "Be thankful that Naraku is too set on having control to not concern about even miniscule threats", Kagura retorts as she grabs the scuffed phone from Sango's hands. "I'm assuming you have some form of tracking on Seiga's phone, otherwise you would still be out there plotting a death sentence", Kikyo speaks up as she readjust her position in her bed. "Yes and at the moment the location is traced, an infantry of men is prepared to storm the location and rescue Ms. Higurashi, the mongrel and Ms. Seiga. What is needed is a distraction to infiltrate the destination. Hihi and this Hakudoshi character are still at large and can kill them before the men can reach them", Sesshoumaru informs.

"Then I think I can help. Hakudoshi has spoken to me about some of Naraku's plans. I would tell if you guarantee he comes out of this alive", Kanna proposes to the gathering group. Everyone in the room stared at the girl as if she had lost her marbles. "I know what you're thinking but hear me out. One of his personas was the one who raped Rin. He has multiple personality disorder and it occurs whenever he's stressed out or remembering something traumatic from the way our parents died. He originally has been trying to take down Naraku on my behalf and using the information both Kikyo and Naraku fed to him. But I guess the stress trying to keep secrets from both parties was too much for him and he snapped", Kanna begins to explain.

"But I thought he was administered to a mental institution for the decade. One of his personas almost raped me one summer, he kept speaking about me being a fairy but I managed to get away and report him to the police before he can hurt me", Shiori shudders. "In an agreement for my betrothal towards him, Naraku agreed to pay for his institution fees seeing as mine and Kanna funds were tied up until I passed the deed. Nevertheless, you're right… he was supposed to be in the institution and seeing that he is out and videotaped helping Naraku… I will personally see to Naraku's downfall as long as Kanna's request for Hakudoshi is carried out. Consider it my thanks for granting my freedom", Kagura announces. "Then it is within your responsibilities to keep Hakudoshi in check during the intrusion", Sesshoumaru confirms as everyone in the room simply let all comments die on their lips.

"Okay, this is what we have to do..."

* * *

Meanwhile somewhere not too far away, Kagome sits in a cavernous cell with Rin shivering in her lap. Asleep in a cell across from them, laid a drugged InuYasha, unaware to the world as masked henchmen walk up and down the narrow corridors taunting the prisoners. Rin stirs awake with heavy-laden eyes as she blinks a couple times to look at Kagome's tear-streaked face. "Rin… thank god… I thought you were never going to wake up", Kagome whispers as she leans against the dark walls. "Kagome… I'm sorry…", Rin begins as Kagome shushes her.

"_I will forget—my dreams… Nothing is what—it seems… I will—affect you… I will—protect you… From all the crazy schemes…You traded in—your wings… for everything—freedom brings… You never—left me… You never—let me… See what this—feeling means…_", Kagome begins to sing as Rin harmonizes the next lines with her. "_Everything—that you feel… Is everything—that I feel… So when—we dream… We shout... We shout..._" Rin snivels as she continues the song with Kagome gently stroking the untouched skin on her legs. "_You say it's all—complex… passion can pass—for less… we never—bothered… telling each—other… what we were bound—to guess… Will anybody—care… we could go—anywhere… going through—danger… talking to—strangers… Will there be—someone there…_" The girls sing the chorus again with Rin leading just as InuYasha stirs awake. "_Everything—that you feel… Is everything—that I feel… So when—we dream… We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout... We shout..._"

InuYasha sits up to look at the two girls harmonizing to the song "We Shout" by T.A.T.U. "Forgive me then?", Rin whispers. "It'll be foolish for me to say there's nothing for you to be sorry for. But I can never hold a grudge against you. You're like the sister I never had, Rin—nothing will change that…", Kagome smiles as she rubs at the darkening bruise against Rin's cheek."Does that same rule apply for a pig-headed jerk like me?", InuYasha calls out from his cell. Rin gives Kagome a look before lightly scoffing and rolling her eyes at her obviously blushing friend.

"As long as you promise to make it out of here with us… I have a plan. I just need your help", Rin whispers gripping Kagome's fingers for surety. "While the chances of that seems slim, I'll humor you", InuYasha lightly confides. "There are only 10 of them. They thought I would lose recognition of who's who by wearing those ridiculous masks. But between the drugs they shove into me and the fading memories I keep recalling, I know I met about everyone of those scum in here and I can recognize their touch and smell. Hakudoshi is the only one who likes to come down here and stare and only after he just had an argument with Naraku", Rin whispers, confirming her point as one of the guards walk down the corridors again, taking a moment to examine both Rin's and Kagome's huddling stance before shaking his head in disapproval.

"Okay, say you're right, what do you want us to do? Rush them?", InuYasha ridicules. "Of course not. Naraku wants all of us broken in to his command. I have an idea to one up him", Rin begins. "Well obviously the food in here is drugged as well since every time they force either one of you to eat, you pass out for hours on end. I mean it makes it easier to deal with the brutality they do to you guys but for anything to work we need someone strong to attack, one to distract and the other to hide all traces of evidence", Kagome concludes. "Well, no offenses but you're the only one they haven't touched or are willing to harm here, Kagome. Naraku has some vendetta against me and Rin becomes prey whenever that Hakudoshi guy comes down and gets all crazy", InuYasha confirms. "Then I will eat the next two meals as long as you two can promise to get me out of here alive. InuYasha it's up to you to attack Naraku because I doubt he'll let me and Rin actually go free so bear it a little longer", Kagome starts before her next words falter on her lips as the familiar sound of new loafers click down the dark corridor.

Naraku stands between the two cells, anger masked behind his demeanor as he tsks in disapproval. "And here I was actually going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you go free a bit early", he seethes. "GUARDS, arrest the prisoners and escort them to the arena… we're going to make an early broadcast… and this one would be the last for some of our guest", he chuckles as Kagome and Rin glare scornful looks from their cell.


	18. Suicidal Rescues & Diplomatic Escapes

**Suicidal Rescues &amp; Diplomatic Escapes**

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

14-year-old Naraku Hihi, dressed immaculately in a slimming black suit with his dark, loosely coiled locks braided into a ponytail falling along the base of his neck, stands at his parent's funeral, surrounded by an onslaught of Hihi's Steel Corporation representatives, executives, and lawyers. The will named him as financial successor to his father's company but no one stood to congratulate him on another day in history as the youngest billionaire on the market. He was immediately allowed to graduate from his boarding school early, seeing that he was academically advance and just wasting time teaching some of the instructors. Looking forward to the future enhancements to his parent's company, Naraku relished in the attention of the staff waiting on his every disposal. Paparazzi waiting to interview him outside the funeral hall were his main concern for this day as he masks all emotions and follows the march from the church ceremony to the guarded graveyard.

Taking deep breaths he walks out of the church following the pallbearers only to face cameramen and screaming reporters asking for his opinion on the recent announcement of the Takahashi betrothal and recent merging with Miko Cosmetics. Immediately, Naraku stops following the men as the pallbearers continue without him, leaving the young teenage boy to face a crowd of reporters blocked off by secret service men. "_Miko Cosmetics only has one heir… and that was my crush—Kikyo Miko. Again… I'm too late. If she only waited one more day, I could have made an offer of that kind… and she had to become arranged with one of those stupid Takahashi boys. No matter where I turn, their always right behind me, reclaiming the spotlight… well, they'll pay… one day I would take down the entire Takahashi Empire_", he mentally conspires as a cold mask mars his young face.

"Normally I would love to congratulate the new beginnings of the Takahashi-Miko compromise but at the moment I have more imposing matters to attend to", he announces as reporters continue to throw out questions with their camera lens flashing intensely. Stepping into the designated limousine waiting for his departure he closes his eyes off to the world and sets about his plan for revenge.

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

Kagome, Rin, and InuYasha now stand backs against each other inside of the birdcage originally designed for Kagome's taunting performance, peering out into the dark stoned walls as a their only source of light was a bright spotlight illuminating their captive state. A massive timer with glowing red digits ticks above them as the hours had now wound down to a mere ten minutes to save. Rin stifles her tears as she squeezes Kagome's hand. "Gome… if it comes down to it… just make sure you get out of here alive—", Rin begins to whisper only to be interrupted by InuYasha's glower through his black eye. "If anyone is going to kick it, it'll be me… I'll be damned if Naraku lands a hand on either one of you…", InuYasha curses under his breath. In response to her comrades' self-sacrificial attitudes, Kagome shakes her head and begins humming Kelly Clarkson's Be Still.

"_Far… away from it all… You and me… with no one else around… A brand new start… Is all we need… it's all we need… to mend these hearts… Back to the beginning… Be still… Let it go… Before… we lost hope… When… we still touched… and love wasn't so hard… Be still… I already… know…_", she lightly sings clutching onto InuYasha's hands while chancing a glance at him. "_Foolish one, with the smile… You don't have… to be brave… Every time, we fall down… But we're… falling from grace… I'll gladly climb your walls, if you'll meet me… halfway…_", she finishes as she lifts the hand in her grasp and places a chaste kiss on the back of his palms. "Thanks Kagome… I'm so—", InuYasha begins to whisper only to be on the receiving end of a blank stare from the girl in question. "Okay… you got it… no more talking on the subject", he rolls his eyes. The sound of footsteps fill the empty room as the trio let the hope from Kagome's short distraction filter their mind's resolve.

"Naraku, I have kept my end of the deal and Rin is still alive", Kagome starts before a low throaty chuckle sounds through the air. "Is this coming from Feudal High's merit queen…tsk tsk tsk… Don't forget—patience is a virtue, Higurashi. Besides—that deal is now invalid after discovering your murmurings about a plan to escape. You cannot possibly think I would have let you leave, let alone live with the knowledge of your impeding attack", Naraku confirms as he steps out of the shadows to show his new ensemble. He now wears a top hat with long, dark feathers extending from the brim as a partial mask covers half of his face. His long raven locks tied into a slick ponytail at the nape as his suit smolders just as dark against his pale skin. White gloves cover his hands as he paces the around the lowered golden birdcage, tauntingly touching the bars as he watches the reactions of his hostages, finally stopping at InuYasha's impassive face.

"Today… history would be corrected… and your very lives and futures would be changed for once and for all", Naraku beams as the stage lights up completely and a camcorder begins to record. "I have sat here for hours trying to figure out what I could've possibly done to you for you to hate me this much… I still can't think of anything… so why don't you enlighten us", InuYasha eggs on. "It is nothing really personal to you but rather your entire existence, your last name had always outshone mine in the tabloids and always at key moments in my life. Whereas I do things that actually can affect the world we live in, sensationalism is what people want to hear about and so they're more interested in simple, everyday grumblings about your life. I figured not only would I take away your spotlight, I will make sure to remove Takahashi influence from the world", Naraku explains maniacally.

"And what of…", Rin asks aloud as she couldn't fathom saying the name of the one she held the dearest. "Don't you realize that is exactly why you were originally attacked. Albeit it was a fluke of the men in my service seeing that the target was originally Ms. Tajiya by our dear little Kikyo's orders, you proved to be of higher value once it was discovered that the infamous Ice King had a little ping in his heart for you. Frankly I can't fathom the attraction, but strangely enough, Hakudoshi has an undeniable desire towards you as well so I think you have an aura that attracts the socially inept… perhaps it's the fact that you were always socially inept yourself and would continue to be if it was not for the very girl beside you and Ms. Tajiya. Nevertheless, I digress… I am to blame for ending your relationship initially, seeing that I had him blackmailed into ending any questionable ties with you. However, that soon played against my favor as not only does he continue to show interest into your well-being but also he used one of my own pawns against me. So he became an abandoned effort", Naraku continues disregarding the wide eyes of the young girl as a ghost of her emotions play upon her heart.

Silent tears race down her battered skin as memories of every encounter she had with the Ice King start to flood through her thoughts. "Then why not attack my parents?", InuYasha scoffs as Kagome clings to Rin's shuddering frame.

"That was the point of you falling for Miko. Funny, I envied you for years after you stole her from me. The one girl I first noticed before she became developed… or better yet, your parents took her away from me and gave her to you. Then you had the audacity to fall for each other and flaunt it in everyone's faces. Unfortunate for you, I found out a long time ago, that Miko's one and true love has always been wealth and I tinted any emotion she held towards you to be one of frivolous demand. What made it so easy was the insurmountable infatuation you had with her. She simply was going to wait until she came of age and you two got married before she had the marriage annulled. Then little Ms. Higurashi came along and introduced morals into you and soon Miko was as useless to me as Seiga. I had to applaud the stint she pulled in trying to keep you with an unborn child, nevermind that if the media found out, she was going to be a social outcast as a teenage mother. I swear you Takahashi men are so fickle when it comes to romances. Even if in your case you picked the girl that most resembled the one that crushed your beliefs on love… Then it made it all the more easier to target Ms. Higurashi since you were paying so much attention to her. Lucky for me, your rival in her affections is also your rival in business, other than myself of course. Therefore, the enemy of my enemy became a friend. It wasn't too difficult to include Ookami into our lot anyhow with promises of having Ms. Higurashi with him to share the throne", Naraku concludes as the inhabitants in the cage still their movements at the scrutiny of their very lives being controlled.

As silence begins to fill the eerie room, InuYasha bursts out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "I think he did it… you broke InuYasha and now he's lost his marbles", Kagome mutters under her breath. Rin raises an eyebrow at her friend's statement only to return to her thoughts not too long after as InuYasha begins to smother his laughter. "So wait…let me get this straight. You've spent you're entire high school career, went out of your way to get readmitted to public school and go through the education process again, just to carry out some evil vendetta against me. Well, even if I do die in here, I have to say, you're the biggest contradiction. I'm so very honored by your devotion to get rid of me or rather my family. Being that you so called hate my existence for taking more precedence over your life, I'm sorry if I find it hilarious in the irony that you just went out of your way to dedicate your life to trying to take mines. In the end, you play as if you have control but you ultimately honor me by giving me that very control. Even if you kill me, you still have to take down Sesshoumaru and then my parents before you can even begin to erase our legacy. Moreover, you just added to it with this publicized hostage crisis, nevermind you said it yourself, 'sensationalism is what people want to hear', so my death would outlive anything you've done… I believe we're at what we called a stalemate, Naraku", InuYasha taunts as he regains his composure to face the man outside the bars.

"If I were you—Takahashi, I would think twice before laughing like that again. You neglect two things…", Naraku begins again as masked henchmen exit the shadows and approach the stage to open the cage. With the cage flung open, two things happen at once. Naraku pulls out a silver-coated revolver and aims it at InuYasha's head upon entering the cage as Kagome and Rin were dragged out of the cage and surrounded by multiple henchmen with rifles pointed at multiple orifices on their bodies. "One mistake and you can end the lives of the two girls behind you. Are you willing to sacrifice two seemingly innocent, not as famous, bystanders? You're right in assuming I can't exactly kill you but I will make you suffer. And right now, that is all I have room for on my agenda as I continue to control the empire that your parents are now carefully trying to escape", Naraku tsks.

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounds through the entire scene as everyone within the room remains completely still. Naraku signals a few of the men aiming at Rin and Kagome to go check on the incident as he pulls out another revolver and aims it carefully at Rin's head. Trying to steady and lock his stance, he surveys the surrounding room, silently cursing the shadows as the stage was too offset from one corner to see if anyone hid to ambush him. The moment Naraku ponders the thought, the telltale signs of Yura's lightly tanned skin peeks out in the darkness and he immediately removes his aim from Rin to fire at the mark. With his resounding shot sounding through the room, gunshots followed as Kagome, Rin and InuYasha ducked down to lay out on the ground to avoid any stray bullets. The stage lights flickered out as Rin's terrified scream sounded through the air. Immediately, the sound of heavy stomps and marches bounce around the walls as dim, green headlights flashed around the room. Finally, the gunshots came to a stop at the sound of Naraku choking.

The lights slowly came on and an entire new scene lay out before the camera. Rin now stood, clicking an empty gun at a dead, masked body on the floor as InuYasha held Naraku's windpipes at excruciating strengths with the help of Miroku keeping the man down. Sango's body covered a slightly bloodied Kagome, as Naraku's henchmen were lying wounded on the floor or being surrounded by men in dark camouflage apparel with rifles pointed at their heads. Slowly, the masks of every man in the room were ripped away as Sesshoumaru struts into the scene before him. Taking in the sights, he turns to the center of the stage, watching as Rin continues to click the empty barrel, blood seeping around the body of the man below her. Finally throwing aside the gun, Rin searches the man's pockets for the signs of the syringe constantly used on her. Finding one filled with a bluish, opaque liquid, she has the attention of everyone in the room as InuYasha and Miroku back away from Naraku's body after chaining him to the cage.

"You were the one to blame, correct?", she calmly retorts as she removes the cap from the needle. "Before you attack me, let me warn you. There's only one other person who knows the entire truth and story to what I did to you… to all of you… and while you may have gotten rid of one of my major pawns, I assure you, there's still one other person that no one bothered with", Naraku goads. At the utterance of the last word, Rin drops the needle before screeching and launching her body to attack Naraku. Sesshoumaru walks forward and turns over the bloody body of the one casualty in the room. He mentally tsks at the realization that he partially failed his mission with Rin's rapist lying dead in a pool of his own blood, his chest hosting a massive hole around the heart area.

As Naraku enters into unconsciousness, Sesshoumaru walks over to help his brother and Miroku pull Rin off the beaten torturer and into his arms as she heaves great sobs of pain before succumbing to her own weariness. Sirens sound from not to far as police and medics storm the scene and evacuate the hostages, the victims, the criminals, and the morgue.

* * *

Kagome wakes to the sound of a beeping, EKG monitor and immediately tries to sit up and look at her surroundings. She regrets the decision as a sharp pain races up her ribcage in her anticipation. Taking deep breaths, she turns slowly and climbs out of her hospital bed to peer out the nearby bedside window. She blinks once, and then twice at the realization that the entire incident wasn't a dream. She was indeed back in her hometown, away from the awful memories of her first Ski Trip. Lying back down into her bed, the hospital door opens to reveal her mother with a shopping bag of clothes for Kagome to change into. "Mom… you have no idea how happy I am to see you right now", Kagome lightly beams. Kaori meekly smiles before placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead and get comfortable. "You should be resting, Kagome. You have a long weekend ahead of you. Not to mention, thanks to the convincing of old Taisho, and his charming wife, you girls would now be staying at that melodramatic school with some new provisions", she begins as Kagome's smile turns into a frown.

"Mom… it wasn't his fault—Naraku…", Kagome begins as her mother puts a silencing finger against her lips. "Calm down, sweetheart. I know it all…and then some… just lie down and let me tell you what's been going on", Kaori begins as she takes a seat by her daughter's bedside. "That vile boy has been put away for now and not even all the money in the world can free him. Moreover, I know InuYasha…Well, I know it wasn't his fault… From what Rin told me and what was seen on the broadcast—the entire story of what went on… well from what she can remember… the detectives aren't too keen on using her testimony for the case against Hihi. Luckily, the physical evidence she has from her attackers are enough to charge him with for extortion, kidnapping, aggravated assault, premeditated assault, and battery. That poor girl… oh and when we get home, prepare to have your room shared for the next couple of months since she's going to stay with us while she works on her proposal for being an independent teen. I just couldn't allow ACS to take her and put her in foster care. Funny thing is, I had to fight to keep her between Taisho, Goshenki, and Jiji's house but we worked out a compromise", she finishes chuckling as she smoothes her hands over the long blue skirt she wore.

"So what happened to Sango and Miroku? Are Kikyo, Kanna, and Kagura being charged with anything as well? What about InuYasha and his brother? How's Shippou doing? How long have I exactly been out?", Kagome rants excitedly. "Calm down, honey… you would've thought you were excited about the trouble your friends got you into", Kaori jokes as her daughter rolls her eyes at her mother's antics. "Where was I… well you've been out for about 72 hours with Rin a couple of rooms down. Shippou is fine and is presently enrolled in your school. Keep an eye out for him since he's a freshman, okay honey? That InuYasha is recovering and the news have not given the Takahashis a moments rest. I feel sorry for them always having to hide just to get away from the spotlight, but such is their life and they certainly have enough publicists to deal with it. I would forbid you from speaking to him but if I didn't know my daughter too well, I'd rather save all the headaches and just let you be. Those girls you speak of, they were cleared of any charges… fortunately, money buys them pretty much anything and while Miko Cosmetics took a dive in stocks, somehow they got mysterious funding from Kaze and Kagami Incorporate. Never heard of the business but as long as it doesn't affect my tax dollars, I'll look into it later. Sango's boyfriend has been helping InuYasha recover and Sango herself has been going back and forth between here and Rin's room. You should thank the Takahashis… they manage to convince Goshenki and I to let you girls stay… for now…and I think you're all up to date", Kaori yawns as she lightly stands and readjusts her light sweater accordingly.

A knock on the hospital door calls her attention as she opens the door to a weary looking Sango in a loose fitting, pink t-shirt and black low waist skinny jeans and black sneakers, her dark auburn back in its usual high ponytail, off to the side as she smiles a lazy smile through her side swept bangs at Kagome and her mother. "Time to switch places. Rin's sleeping for now…she's not saying much to me outside of small talk. But maybe you can watch her to make sure her nightmares aren't too bad Mrs. H", Sango confirms as she enters the room. "Okay, hun. I'll drive you home to rest and change in a few. You girls don't spend too much time crying now", she chides as she exits the room, leaving the two best friends alone.

Sango reaches down and lightly hugs Kagome's delicate frame. "I would've given you more of a hug after not seeing you for so long but I'm tired and I don't want to hurt your healing ribs", Sango teases. "I thought I'll never get to see you again", Kagome breathes, allowing her eyes to only water at the sight Sango's matching expression. "As if you can get away from me…", Sango jokes as she lightly squeezes Kagome's hand. "How's Rin?", Kagome questions aloud, remembering the sight of the broken girl when Sesshoumaru had to carry her out of the darkness.

"To be honest… I'm not sure she'll ever be the same until the air is cleared about everything that happened between us and between her and Sesshoumaru. She has off days where she wakes up screaming about the things those men did to her… but none of that compares to how many times she wakes up regretting how she treated you… After nearly a week drugged, she doesn't want to return to her old addictions so I guess she treated of that for now…", Sango finishes updating Kagome. "At least that's one silver lining I'm proud of after all of this… hurry back in the morning so we can hold Rin together", Kagome yawns as Sango plants a kiss on her forehead before carefully backing out of her hospital room.

Closing the door behind her, Sango bumps into a warm familiar body as comforting arms circle around her waist. "How's the idiot holding up?", she whispers after intercepting a chaste kiss against her neck. "Ask him yourself", InuYasha speaks up from behind the couple. A yellowing shiner underneath a set of dark sunglasses kept him from being unrecognizable as he rubs anxious arms up and down the long sleeves of his dark, plaid shirt. He wears a black bandana under a black cap with matching dark jeans. His silver hair cleverly tucked into the bandana as rugged, black converse sneakers completed the disguise. "What are you doing here? Good job on diverting the media but what if Mrs. H catches you?", Sango harshly whispers shoving a finger against the celebrity teen's chest. "I overheard that you guys were about to leave anyway. We tried to stop by earlier but Mrs. Higurashi wouldn't leave the room so InuYasha can sit with her. Besides, we'll hide as soon as she comes in like another two minutes to take you home. He'll pop in and out with me guarding the door and no one would be wiser. Come on my lovely Sango… have a heart for this brainless buffoon", Miroku teases.

Before InuYasha can retort to the comment made on his expense, Miroku grabs him and pulls him behind a corner as Sango spins around to the telltale sounds of Kaori walking up the hall. "Rin is fast asleep. I'll drop you off again in the morning with some of the girl's things so they can get dressed before I come to check them out. Hopefully there would be more than enough security to guard us until we head off to the Takahashi estate", Kaori yawns as she hands Sango her jacket. "Sure thing Mrs. H. But don't be surprised when you see the Takahashi boys here in the morning. Even with that much security, they'll be sure to be here to make sure nothing goes wrong", Sango confirms as she follows the woman down the hall and out to her car, looking back just in time to see InuYasha sneak into Kagome's room and Miroku carefully pacing outside the door.

* * *

Meanwhile across town, Kikyo throws a miniature relief party with Kagura and Kanna, which soon turned into a sleepover between the trio. The three girls sit around Kikyo's room, destroying the last remains of any evidence that can incriminate them. For now, the media portrays Naraku as a simple mad man with an inferiority complex that lashed out amongst his peers. Twisting the details of his first video broadcast with their own personal reasoning behind his attacks, news outlets made it so that the only victims were the actual hostages of the attack. This in turn made Kikyo, Kanna, and Kagura more of key witnesses instead of leading suspects and aiders to the original crime. Or rather, that was the spin; their lawyers were working in having the girls be dismissed on their charges of aiding to the conspiracy. In the end, there were only a few more days of Naraku standing trial and with the assets of his father's company turned over to the Takahashi as multiple shareholders and investor's sought out, he had little means of escape as the public awaits the verdict of the grand jury.

"I can't believe it's all over… I can't believe… we're free…", Kagura breathes as she hugs one of one of Kikyo's plush, black, velvet pillows to her legs. "I feel wrong for celebrating… seeing that Hakudoshi had to die at his hands… but we both knew when we started this mission that someone will have to sacrifice a life in order for Naraku to cease in ruining others…", Kanna toasts as she chugs the remains of her glass of chardonnay. "We all knew the risks… and we owe it to each other to make sure that this story never resurfaces the light of day again… that everything involving Naraku disappears after our graduation", Kikyo swears as she refills the glass of her guests. "Then meanwhile, why don't we go about securing the popularity positions of those new girls… it should compensate for all the trouble we caused by manipulating them into our schemes", Kagura suggests.

As the girls begin mapping out their plans to retake and reshape the hierarchy at Feudal High, dark, green eyes, pushes away an aimed telescope and vanishes into the darkness.

* * *

Morning soon came for the Feudal High teens as the infamous inhabitants begin to return to their normal school schedules, minus anyone hospitalized. This means, Shippou and Shiori begin their enrollment in their classes with Sango, InuYasha and Miroku helping them with their transitions. Yura and Ayame soon became fast friends at the publicizing of events and their lack of involvement causing them to focus on matters that are more important. Such as ending the high school year with a bang. Kouga, Kikyo, Kagura, and Kanna became known around school as the Infamous K's and reclaiming the school grounds as the most popular despite the scandals and rumors the media has spread around. There wasn't any proof to the claims from Naraku's broadcast other than speculations and sensational news. Sesshoumaru resigns his position at the school, to the disappointment of the female population who crowned him the Crystal Knight for his continuous rescue of Rin Seiga.

With that being said, things were nonetheless awkward at the end of the school day when Sango, Miroku, InuYasha, Shippou, and Shiori rushed over to meet Kagome and Rin at the hospital since they were going to be discharged today and only to meet a bored Ookami waiting in Kagome's room. "I was wondering when all of you would show up, Kagome went down the hall to visit Rin…", he begins as without a word, Sango heads in that direction as a silent InuYasha and a shocked Miroku, Shiori, and a weirded Shippou remain standing in the room. "While the rest of you are still here, Kikyo wants to have a meeting about what we're going to do for the talent show… since things happen… she has a new idea of what to do as a sure win of an act. Therefore, she wants you guys to meet at her house. InuYasha knows where it is", Kouga finishes, not waiting for a response as he exits the room and back to his own car in the parking lot.

The remaining inhabitants of the room gave each other a look before heading over to Rin's room to help the last of the crew out and over to the land of drama.

* * *

A tiny white lie and a short drive later, our Feudal High starlets found themselves standing around the Miko home's refurbished parlor with the Infamous K's facing the inflicted crew of remaining socialites. "First business, seeing that it's the senior year for the majority of us, we spent most of the day talking to coaches about late sign-ups and all the ladies in this room are now part of Feudal High's first Cheerleading Team, The Hanyou Divas", Kanna announces. Silence creeps along the room as Shiori, Ayame, Kagome, Rin, Yura, and Sango gave a mixed combination of reactions. "I take your silence as compliance. Furthermore, since Naraku is permanently displaced, we have decided to form the two dance groups into one and this year Yura has choreographed a routine to Girl's Generation, 'The Boys'. Any objections?", Kagura begins again. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?! MAYBE WHILE YOU WERE OUT TRYING TO BUILD BACK UP THE CRAPPY REPUTATION YOU GUYS GAVE TO BEING PART OF YOUR CLIQUE, YOU MISSED THE FACT THAT NO ONE WANTS TO BE LIKE YOU ANYMORE AND DEAL WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!", Sango screams furiously as Miroku attempts to restrain her.

"AND WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO USE MY ROUTINE OR ASSUME THAT YOU STILL HAD ACCESS TO IT", Yura immediately follows. "Ladies, ladies…. Let's calm down a bit…", Ayame begins as Shiori blows a whistle out of her lips to quiet the loud chatter. "The person who made being part of this clique the crap it is now long gone… so why don't we give it another try to dominate the school. I doubt anyone likes walking down the hallways to hear the rampant whispers of people who could only speculate and name call without being involved. Surely we have some form of a skill to learn from people who manage to reclaim the popularity food chain after such publicity", Ayame finishes as the inhabitants of the room ponder the words she wisely spoken aloud. "Fine… we accept the offer", Rin begins as shock mars the faces of everyone at her voice finally being heard. "But this time around… let's do an even exchange in character as well… I'd rather not become another piece in your games… and any slip-ups then the entire deal is off, show or not and we cease to continue acknowledging the other's existence after you graduate", she finishes before turning on her heels and heading out the room without another word.

As everyone, begin to agree to the rules of the new exchange, tension releases within the room as InuYasha shook hands with Kouga to finalize the beginnings of a new partnership amongst the group.

* * *

Meanwhile across town, media outlets bombard the doors to the town's courthouse as Naraku's verdict has been called and he was guilty on all charges brought against him. Unfortunately, with him being of age, he was fully prosecuted. His company was now being controlled by his nemesis and his personal assets being sold and liquidated, as he prepares for a prison life for the next 30 years in a facility built with higher security for crafty criminals. Sesshoumaru walks out of the courthouse, satisfied at the sight of Naraku in an orange jumpsuit as he ignores the constant questions of the multitudes of reporters. Having conquered a financial pest in his life, he sighs at the feeling of success. However, he was missing the familiar sense of compensation for his actions: the warmth of self-assurance. Entering the back of a dark limousine with tinted windows, he nods as a signal for his driver, Jaken Hiki, to quickly pull out of the scene before his temper gets the best of him.

Already situated and waiting inside the limousine were InuTaisho and Izayoi Takahashi, allowing Sesshoumaru to lock the doors to said vehicle before voicing their concerns. "Rin is heading over to the estate to grab a few of her things before she heads off to Kagome's house", Izayoi begins as she places a calm hand against the back of Sesshoumaru's clenched fists. "We appreciate everything you have done in order to maintain the image of the Takahashi enterprise but your mother has express concerns about your personal life being too chaotic and that is one of the only factors keeping us from just handing over your share of the company. I can't bring myself to give such a corporation over to a man who doesn't even have his personal life under control… and before you dismiss it and lie to us saying it is nonexistent… don't bother because you're very actions now betray you… Don't forget I was the original Ice King before the world deemed me softer because I paraded and enjoyed my personal life, so I know the very true things you hide", InuTaisho lectures.

"Honestly, honey… while Rin is here for tonight, we figured it was time you guys spoke about everything that went on between you two. And even if the result isn't one I may like, everyone… mainly yourselves, would feel much better getting all those unsaid feelings out of the way", Izayoi finishes as Sesshoumaru finally turns away from his parent's scrutiny. "How much time… until she arrives?", he slowly words. Just as the driver manages to pull into the gates of the estate and into the underground parking lot, Sesshoumaru has his question answered as the valet opens his door to reveal InuYasha turning on the alarm to his red Ferrari with Rin and Kagome standing outside the entrance to an elevator only blocked by Sango and Miroku's protective stance. InuYasha takes in his brother's neat appearance in contrast to his frustrated expression.

The elevator door dings and Miroku calls InuYasha over to enter the polished interior just as Rin's eyes catches sight of the dark limousine. Without another word, InuYasha runs to catch the elevator just as the door closes, leaving Sesshoumaru with the lasting expression of Rin's down casted eyes.


End file.
